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THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 
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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
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THE 


YOUNG  MOTHEK, 

OR 

MANAGEMENT  OF  CHILDREN 

IN  REGARD  TO  HEALTH. 


BY  WM.  A.  ALCOTT, 

Author  of  the  Young-  Man's  Guide,  and  Editor  of  the  Moral 
Reformer. 


REVIEWED  BY 
PRESERVATION 
KHCR0FUNN8  , 


MAR  1  2  1990 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1836,  by 
Wm.  A.  Alcott,  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of 
Massachusetts. 


ADVERTISEMENT 


TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 

The  favor  which  this  volume  has  met 
with — beyond  what  the  author  or  his  most 
sanguine  friends  could  have  anticipated — 
encourages  him  to  proceed  as  rapidly  as 
circumstances  may  admit,  in  preparing  the 
rest  of  the  volumes  mentioned  in  the  Adver- 
tisement to  the  first  edition.  a  The  Young 
Wife"  will  appear  next,  and  will  embrace 
several  topics  scarcely,  if  at  all,  adverted  to 
in  any  work  of  the  kind  which  the  author 
has  yet  seen.  The  volume  will  be  completed 
with  the  least  possible  -delay. 


r 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  L   THE  NURSERY. 

General  remarks.  Importance  of  a  nursery.  Generally  over- 
looked.  Its  walls — ceiling- — windows— chimney.  Two  apart- 
ments.  Sliding  partition.  Reasons  for  this  arrangement. 
Objections  to  carpets.  Furniture,  &c.  Feather  beds. 
Holes  or  crevices.  Currents  of  air.  Cats  and  dogs.  "  Suck- 
kig  the  child's  breath."    Brilliant  objects.    Squinting-.    .  33—36 


CHAPTER  II.  TEMPERATURE. 

General  principle—"  Keep  cool."  Our  own  sensations  not 
always  to  be  trusted.  Thermometer.  Why  infants  require 
more  external  heat  than  adults.  Means  of  warmth.  Air 
heated  in  other  apartments.  Clothes  taking-  fire.  Stove. 
Railing  around  it.    Excess  of  heat — its  dangers.  .    .    .  37 — 40 


CHAPTER  IB.  VENTILATION. 

General  ignorance  of  the  constitution  of  the  atmosphere.  The 
subject  briefly  explained.  Oxygen  gas.  Nitrogen.  Car- 
bonic acid.  Fires,  candles,  and  breathing,  dependent  on 
oxygen.  Danger  from  carbonic  acid.  How  it  destroys 
people.  Impurity  of  the  air  by  means  of  lamps  and  candles. 
Other  sources  of  impurity.  Experiment  of  putting  the  candle 
under  the  bed-clothes.  Covering  the  heads  of  infants  while 
sleeping — its  dangers.    Proportions  of  oxygen  and  nitrogen 


6 


CONTENTS. 


in  pure  and  impure  air.  No  wonder  children  become  sickly. 
Particular  means  of  ventilating  rooms.  Caution  in  regard 
to  lamps.  Washing,  ironing,  cooking,  &c,  in  a  nursery. 
Their  evil  tendency.  Fumigation— -camphor,  vinegar.  .   41 — 46 


CHAPTER  IV.    THE  CHILD'S  DRESS. 
General  principles — 1.  To  cover  us;  2.  To  defend  us  from 
cold ;  3.  from  injury  47 

Sec.  1.    Swathing  the  Body. 
Buffon's  remarks.    Transforming  children  into  mummies.  Use 
of  a  belly-band.     Evils  produced  by  having  it  too  tight. 
Cripples  sometimes  made.    Absurdity  of  confining  the  arms. 
Infants  should  be  made  happy  47-— 51 

Sec.  2.  Form  of  the  Dress. 
Curious  suggestion  of  a  London  writer.  Advantages  of  his 
plan.  Killing  with  kindness.  Dr.  Buchan's  opinion.  Con- 
formity to  fashion.  Tight-lacing  the  chest.  Its  effects.  Why 
dangerous.  Physiology  of  the  chest.  Its  motions.  An 
attempt  to  make  the  subject  intelligible.  Serious  mistakes 
of  some  writers.  Appeal  to  facts.  Color  of  females.  Their 
breathing.  Their  diseases.  Customs  of  Tunis.  Our  own 
customs  little  less  ridiculous  51—61 

Sec.  3.  Material. 
Flannel  in  cold  weather.  Its  use — 1.  As  a  kind  of  flesh  brush; 
2.  As  a  protection  against  taking  cold  3  3.  As  a  means  of 
equalizing  the  temperature.  Clothing  should  be  kept  clean — 
often  changed- — color — lightness — softness.  Cotton  apt  to 
take  fire.  Silk  expensive.  Linen  not  warm  enough.  Flan- 
nel under-clothes  61 — 64 

Sec.  4.  Quantity. 
The  power  of  habit,  in  this  respect.  Opinion  that  no  clothing 
is  necessary.  Anecdote  of  Alexander  and  the  Scythian. 
Argument  from  analogy.  Begin  right,  in  early  life.  We 
generally  use  too  much  clothing.  Should  clothing  be  often 
varied  ?— objections  to  it.    Avoid  dampness  65—69 


CONTENTS. 


7 


Sec.  5.  Caps. 
How  caps  produce  disease.  Nature's  head-dress.  Miserable 
apology  for  caps.  What  diseases  are  avoided  by  going  with 
the  head  bare.  Judicious  remarks  of  a  foreign  writer.  Cov- 
ering the  "open  of  the  head.7'  Wetting  the  head  with 
spirits  69—71 

Sec.  6.    Hats  and  Bonnets. 
Hats  usually  too  warm.  No  covering  needed  in  the  house ;  and 
but  little  in  the  sun  or  rain.    Is  it  dangerous  to  go  with  the 
head  always  bare  ?  72 — 74 

Sec.  7.    Covering  for  the  Feet. 
The  feet  should  be  well  covered.  Why.  Rule  of  medical  men. 
No  garters.    Objections  to  covering  the  feet  considered. 
Shoes  useful.    Not  too  thick.    Thick  soles.   Mr.  Locke's 
opinion  76 — 77 

Sec.  8.  Pins. 

These  ought  not  to  be  used.    Why.    Substitutes.    Practice  of 
Dr.  Dewees.  Needles.  Their  danger.  Shocking  anecdote.  77 — 80 

Sec.  9.    Remaining  Wet. 
Changing  wet  clothing.    Monstrous  error — its  evils.    Clean  as 
well  as  dry.    A  lame  excuse  for  negligence.    No  excuse  suf- 
ficient but  poverty  80 — 81 

Sec.  10.    Remarks  on  the  Dress  of  Boys. 
Every  restraint  of  body  or  limb  injurious.    Tight  jackets.  Stiff 
stocks  and  thick  cravats.    Boots.    Evils  of  having  them  too 
tight.    A  painful  sight  81— 8& 

Sec.  11.    On  the  Dress  of  Girls. 
Clothing  should  be  loose  for  girls  or  boys.    Girls  to  be  kept 
warmer  than  boys.  Few  girls  comfortable,  at  home  or  abroad. 
Going  out  of  warm  rooms  into  the  night  air.    How  it  pro- 
i    motes  disease   84—85 


8 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  V.  CLEANLINESS. 

Physiology  of  the  human  skin.  Of  checking  perspiration.  Dis- 
eases thus  produced.  "  Dirt "  not  "  healthy."  How  the 
mistake  originated.  "  Smell  of  the  earth."  Effect  of  un- 
cleanliness  on  the  morals.  Filthiness  produces  bowel  com- 
plaints.   Changing  dress  for  the  sake  of  cleanliness.     .  87 — 94 

CHAPTER  VI.  BATHING. 

Practice  of  savage  nations.  Rather  dangerous.  Mistake  of 
Rousseau.  Plunging  into  cold  water  at  birth  may  produce 
immediate  death.  Hundreds  injured  where  one  is  benefited. 
Spirits  added  to  the  water.  First  washings  of  the  child — 
should  be  thorough.  Rules  in  regard  to  the  temperature  of 
both  the  water  and  the  air.  Washing  an  introduction  to 
bathing.  Hour  for  bathing  changes  with  age.  Temperature 
of  the  water.  Size  of  a  bathing  vessel.  Unreasonable  fears 
of  the  warm  bath.  How  they  arose.  A  list^of  common 
whims.  Apology  for  opposing  cold  baths.  Dr.  Dewees's 
eight  objections  to  them.  Does  cold  water  harden  ?  Cold 
bath  sometimes  useful  under  the  care  of  a  skilful  physician. 
Its  danger  in  other  cases.  Rules  for  using  the  cold  bath,  if 
used  at  all.  Securing  a  glow  after  it.  General  manage- 
ment. Proper  hour.  Coming  out  of  the  bath.  Dressing. 
Singing.  Bathing  after  a  meal.  Local  bathing.  Tea-spoon- 
ful of  water  in  the  mouth.  Its  use.  The  shower  bath.  Vapor 
bath.  Medicated  bath.  Sponging.  Conveniences  for  bath- 
ing indipensable  to  every  family.  General  neglect  of  bath- 
ing. Attention  of  the  Romans  to  this  subject.  We  treat 
domestic  animals  better  than  children  95 — 114 

CHAPTER  VII.  FOOD. 

Sec.  1.    General  Principles. 
The  mother's  milk  the  only  appropriate  food  of  infants.  Un- 
reasonableness of  some  mothers.    The  tendency  to  ape  for- 
eign fashions.    Nursing  does  not  weaken  the  mother.  115 — 119 


CONTENTS. 


9 


Sec.  2.  Nursing,  how  often. 
Children  should  never  be  nursed  to  quiet  them.  Stomach  must 
have  time  for  rest.  Regular  seasons  for  nursing1.  Once  in 
three  hours.  Difference  of  constitution.  Indulgence  does 
not  strengthen.  Feeble  children  require  the  strictest  man- 
agement.   Nothing  should  be  given  between  meals.  .  119 — 121 

Sec.  3.    Quantity  of  Food. 
Errors.    Repetition  of  aliment.    Variety.    Children  over-fed. 
Appetite  not  a  safe  guide.    Training  to  gluttony.  Illustra- 
tions of  the  principle.    Mankind  eat  twice  as  much  as  is 
necessary  121 — 123 

Sec.  4.    How  long  should  Milk  be  the  only  Food  ? 
First  change  in  diet.    Objections  of  mothers.    Choice  bits. 
Ignorance  of  the  nature  of  digestion.    What  digestion  is. 
Food  which  the  author  of  nature  assigned  124—- >126 

Sec.  5.  On  Feeding  before  Teething. 
When  feeding  before  teething  is  necessary.  Diet  of  mothers. 
Substitute  for  the  mothers7  milk.  How  prepared.  Variety 
not  necessary  to  the  infant.  Milk  best  from  the  same  cow. 
Vessels  in  which  it  is  used  should  be  clean.  Sweet  milk  not 
heated  too  much.  Not  frozen.  Disgusting  practices.  Pure 
water.  If  not  pure,  boil  it.  Best  of  sugar.  Is  sugar  inju- 
rious 1  When  the  state  of  the  mother's  health  forbids  nursing. 
Use  of  sucking-bottles.  Feeding  should  in  all  cases  be  slow. 
Jolting  children  after  eating.  Tossing.  Sucking-bottle  as  a 
plaything.  Evils  of  using  it  as  such.  Dirty  vessels.  Poison- 
ous ones.  Character  of  nurses.  Nursing  at  both  breasts. 
Age  of  the  nurse.  Parents  should  have  the  oversight,  even  of 
a  nurse  126—136 

Sec.  6.    From  Teething  to  Weaning. 
Proper  age  for  weaning.    Cullen's  opinion.    Proper  season  of 
the  year.    When  the  teeth  have  fairly  protruded.  First  food 
gpven.    New  forms  of  food.    Animal  broth  138 — 140 


10  CONTENTS. 

Sec.  7.  Dming  the  Process  of  Weaning. 
The  spring  the  best  time  for  weaning.  Should  not  be  too  sud- 
den. The  process— how  managed.  Exciting  an  aversion  to 
the  breast.  What  solid  food  should  first  be  given.  Buchan's 
opinion.  Health  of  the  mother.  She  should — if  possible — 
avoid  medicine  141—144 

Sec.  8.  Food  subsequently  to  Weaning. 
Views  of  Dr.  Cadogan.  Half  the  children  that  come  into  the 
world  go  out  of  it  before  they  are  good  for  anything.  Why  ? 
Owing  chiefly  to  errors  in  nursing,  feeding,  and  clothing. 
Simplicity  of  children's  food.  Picture  of  a  modern  table. 
Every  dish  tortured  till  it  is  spoiled.  Plain,  simple  food,  gen- 
erally despised.  How  bread  is  now  regarded.  How  it 
ought  to  be.  Mr.  Locke's  opinion  in  favor  of  bread  for  young 
children,  and  against  the  use  of  animal  food.  Does  not  differ 
materially  from  that  of  most  medical  writers.  Vegetable 
food  generally  preferred  to  animal.  What  is  true  of  youth, 
in  this  respect,  is  true  of  every  age,  with  slight  exceptions. 
Who  require  most  food .  Mere  bread  and  water  not  best. 
Bread  the  staple  article  of  diet.  Best  kind  of  bread.  Objec- 
tions to  it.  How  groundless  they  are.  Fondness  for  hot,  new 
bread  not  natural.  Fondness  of  change.  What  it  indicates. 
How  it  is  caused.  Train  up  a  child  in  the  way  he  should  go. 
We  can  like  what  food  we  please.  Second  best  kind  of 
bread.  Other  kinds.  Plain  puddings.  Indian  cakes.  Salt 
may  be  used,  in  moderate  quantity,  but  no  other  condiments. 
Of  butter,  cheese,  milk,  &c.  Potatoes,  turnips,  onions,  beets, 
and  other  roots.  Beans,  peas,  and  asparagus.  No  fat  or 
gravies  should  be  used  ,  145 — 176 

Sec.  9.  Remarks  on  Fruit. 
Diversity  of  opinion.  The  cholera.  Fruits  useful.  Seven  plain 
rules  in  regard  to  them.  Other  rules.  A  mistake  corrected. 
Fruit  before  breakfast.  Four  arguments  in  its  favor.  Par- 
ticular fruits.  Apples.  Why  fruits  brought  to  market  arc 
generally  unfit  to  be  eaten.  Are  good,  ripe  fruits  difficult  of 
digestion  ?  Cooking  the  apple.  A  man  who  lives  entirely 
on  apples.  Cutting  down  orchards.  Pears,  peaches,  melons, 
grapes.  Mixing  improper  substances  with  summer  fruits.  176 — 190 


CONTENTS. 


11 


Sec.  10.  Confectionary. 
Confectionary  sometimes  poisonous.  Case  in  New  York. 
All,  or  nearly  all  confectionaries  injurious.  Physical  evils 
attending  their  use.  Intellectual  evils.  Moral  evils.  The 
last  most  to  be  dreaded.  Slaves  to  confectionary  are  on  the 
road  to  gluttony,  drunkenness,  or  debauchery — perhaps  all 


three  190—194 

Sec.  11.  Pastry. 
Dr.  Paris's  opinion  of  pastry.    Various  forms  of  it.    Hot  flour 
bread  a  species  of  it.   Produces,  among  other  evils,  eruptions 
on  the  face.   Appeal  to  mothers  194 — 196 

Sec.  12.    Crude,  or  Raw  Substances. 
Sallads,  herbs,  &c. — raw — cooked.    Nuts,  spices,  mustard, 
horseradish,  onions,  cucumbers,  pickles,  &c.    None  of  these 
should  be  used,  except  as  medicine  196—198 


CHAPTER  VIII.  DRINKS. 

Infants  need  little  drink.  Adults,  even,  generally  drink  to  cool 
themselves.  Simple  water  the  best  drink.  Opinions  of  Dr. 
Oliver  and  Dr.  Dewees.  Animal  food  increases  thirst.  Only 
one  real  drink  in  the  world.  The  true  object  of  all  drink  . 
Tea,  coffee,  chocolate,  beer,  &c.  Milk  and  water,  molasses 
and  water,  &c.  Cider,  wine,  and  ardent  spirits.  Bad  food  and 
drink  the  most  prolific  sources  of  disease.  Children  naturally 
prefer  water.  Danger  of  hot  drinks.  Cold  drinks.  Mis- 
chiefs they  produce.  Caution  to  mothers.  Extracts.  Drink- 
ing cold  water  while  hot   199 — 208 

CHAPTER  IX.    GIVING  MEDICINE. 

H  Prevention  "  better  than  "  cure."  Nine  in  ten  infantile  dis- 
eases caused  by  errors  in  diet  and  drink.  Signs  of  failing 
health.  Causes  of  a  bad  breath.  Flesh  eaters.  Gormandi- 
zers. General  rule  for  preventing  disease.  When  to  call  a 
physician   209—214 


12 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  X.  EXERCISE. 

Sec,  1.    Rocking  in  the  Cradle. 
Objections  to  the  use  of  cradles.    Under  what  circumstances 
they  are  least  objectionable  215—217 

Sec.  2.  Carrying  in  the  Arms. 
Carrying1  in  the  arms  a  suitable  exercise  for  the  first  two  months 
of  life.  Danger  of  too  early  sitting  up.  Improper  position 
in  the  arms.  Mothers  must  see  to  this  themselves.  Motion 
in  the  arms  should  be  gentle.  No  tossing,  running  or  jumping. 
Infants  should  not  always  be  carried  on  the  same  arm.  217—222 

Sec.  3.  Crawling. 
Crawling  useful  to  health.  Why.  Go-carts  and  leading  strings 
prohibited.  The  longer  children  crawl,  the  better.  Their 
progress  in  learning  to  stand.  Let  it  be  slow  and  natural. 
Let  it  be,  as  much  as  possible,  by  their  own  voluntary 
efforts   222—226 

Sec.  4.  Walking. 
Walking-  in  the  nursery.    Walking  abroad.    Hoisting  children 
into  carriages.    Walks  should  not  become  fatiguing.      226 — 228 

Sec.  5.    Riding  in  Carriages. 
Carriages  useful  before  children  can  walk.    Their  construction. 
Should  be  drawn  steadily.    Position  of  the  child  in  them. 
Falling  asleep.     How  long  this  exercise  should  be  con- 
tinued  228—230 

Sec.  6.    Riding  on  Horseback. 
Never  safe  for  infants.    Riding  schools.   Objections  to  riding 
on  horseback,  while  very  young.    Tends  to  cruelty  and 
tyranny   230—232 


CHAPTER  XI.  AMUSEMENTS. 
Universal  need  of  amusements.  Why  so  necessary.    Error  of 
schools.    Error  of  families.  Infant  schools,  as  often  con- 
ducted, particularly  injurious.  Lessons,  or  tasks;  should  be 


CONTENTS. 


13 


short.  Mistakes  of  some  manual  labor  schools.  Of  particu- 
lar amusements  in  the  nursery.  With  small  wooden  cubes- 
pictures — shuttlecock— the  rocking-horse — tops  and  marbles 
— backgammon — checkers— morrice— dice — nine-pins— skip- 
ping the  rope — trundling  the  hoop— playing  at  ball — kites- 
skating  and  swimming — dissected  maps — black  boards— ele- 
ments of  letters— dissected  pictures.   233 — 246 

CHAPTER  XII.  CRYING. 
Its  importance.    Danger  of  repressing  a  tendency  to  cry.  An- 
ecdote from  Dr.  Rush.   Physiology  of  crying.    Folly  of  at- 
tempting wholly  to  suppress  it   247 — 250 

CHAPTER  XIII.  LAUGHING. 
"  Laugh  and  be  fat."    Laughing  is  healthy.    A  common  error. 
Monastic  notions  yet  too  prevalent  on  this  subject.  .    .   251 — 252 

CHAPTER  XIV.  SLEEP. 
General  remarks.    A  prevalent  mistake.    A  hint  to  fathers. 
Few  Catos.   Everything  left  to  mothers   253 — 255 

Sec.  1.    Hour  for  Repose. 
Night  the  season  of  repose,  generally.     Infants  require  all 
hours.    Sleeping  in  dark  rooms.    Excess  of  caution.  Habit 
of  sleeping  amid  noise   255 — 256 

Sec.  2.  Place. 

Where  the  infant  should  sleep.  Why  alone.  Poisoning  by  impure 
air.  Illustration.  Proofs.  Friedlander.  Dr.  Dewees.  De- 
struction of  children  by  mothers.    Anecdote.    Moral  reasons 


for  having  children  sleep  alone.   Sleeping  with  the  aged. 
Sleeping  with  cats  and  dogs   257 — 262 

Sec.  3-    Purity  of  the  Air. 
Nurseries.    Windows  open  during  the  night.    Lowering  them 
from  the  top.    Habit  of  Dr.  Gregory.    Going  abroad  in  the 
open  air   263—265 


14 


CONTENTS. 


Sec.  4.    The  Bed. 
No  feathers  should  be  used.  They  are  too  warm.  Their  effluvia 
oppressive.    Other  objections  to  their  use.    Mattresses.  Air 
beds.    Beds  of  cut  straw.    Soft  beds.    Testimony  of  physi- 
cians.   The  pillow.    Dampness.    Curtains.    Warming  the 


bed.   Beds  recently  occupied  by  the  sick   265—270 

Sec.  5.    The  Covering. 
Light  covering.    Mistakes  of  some  mothers.    Covering  the 
head  with  bed  clothes   270^-271 

Sec.  6.    Nighi  Dresses. 
As  little  dress  during  sleep  as  possible.    No  caps.    No  stock- 
ings.   Loose  night  shirt.    No  tight  articles  of  night  dress. 
Frequent  exchanging  of  clothes   272 — 274 

Sec.  7.    Posture  of  the  Body. 
Sleeping  on  the  back — on  the  sides.   Position  of  the  head.  The 


infant's  bedstead.  Sir  Charles  Bell  Darkening  the  room.  274—276 
Sec.  8.    State  of  the  Mind. 
Mental  quiet  favorable  to  sleep.    Crying  to  sleep.    A  good 
father.   All  anxiety  should  be  avoided   276—278 

Sec.  9.  Quality  of  Sleep. 
Soundness  of  our  sleep.  Nightmare.  How  produced.  Late 
reading.  Late  suppers.  Influence  of  religion  on  sleep.  Dif- 
ferent opinions  about  sleep.  Truth  midway  between  extremes. 
Effect  of  silence  and  darkness  on  our  sleep.  Of  sleep  be- 
fore midnight.    Light  unfavorable  to  sleep   278—282 

Sec.  10.  Quantity. 
Infants  need  to  sleep  nearly  the  whole  time.    Number  of  hours 
required  for  sleep.    Opinions  of  eminent  men.    The  author's 
own  opinion.    Statements  of  Macnish.    Estimates  on  the 
loss  of  time  by  over  sleeping.    Hint  to  young  mothers.  282—286 

CHAPTER  XV.    EARLY  RISING. 
All  children  naturally  early  risers.    Evils  of  sitting  up  late  at 
'  night.   Excitements  in  the  evening.    The  morning,  by  its 


CONTENTS. 


15 


beauties,  invites  us  abroad.  Example  of  parents.  Forbidding 
children  to  rise  early.  Keeping-  them  out  of  the  way.  How 
many  are  burnt  up  by  parental  neglect.  "  Lecturing  "  them. 
What  is  an  early  hour?  287—292 

CHAPTER  XVI.  HARDENING  THE  CONSTITUTION. 

Mistakes  about  hardening  children.  Their  clothing.  Much  cold 
enfeebles.  The  Scotch  Highlanders.  The  two  extremes 
equally  fatal — over-tenderness  and  neglect.  An  interesting 
anecdote  from  Dr.  Dewees  293—300 


CHAPTER  XVII.  SOCIETY. 

Duty  of  mothers  in  this  matter.  Children  prefer  the  society  of 
parents.  Importance  of  other  society.  Necessity  of  society 
illustrated.  Early  diffidence.  Selecting  companions  for  chil- 
dren. Moral  effects  of  society  on  the  young.  Parents  should 
play  with  their  children   301—306 

CHAPTER  XVIII.  EMPLOYMENTS. 

Influence  of  mothers  over  daughters.  Anecdote  of  Benjamin 
West.  Anecdote  of  a  poor  mother.  Of  set  lessons  and  lec- 
tures. Daughters  under  the  mother's  eye.  Why  young  la- 
dies, now-a-days,  dislike  domestic  employments.  Miserable 
housewives.  Not  to  be  wondered  at.  Mistake  of  one  class 
of  men.   Mr.  Flint's  opinion   307—512 

CHAPTER  XIX.    EDUCATION  OF  THE  SENSES. 

Extent  to  which  the  senses  can  be  improved.  Case  of  the  blind. 
The  Indians.    Julia  Brace.    Tailors,  painters,  &c.    ,  313 — 315 

Sec.  1.  Hearing, 
Injury  done  by  caps.  Syringing  the  ears.  Anecdote  of  deafness 
from  neglect.    Means  of  improving  the  hearing.    .    .  315^-316 


16 


CONTENTS. 


Sec.  2.  Seeing. 
Importance  of  seeing.   Near-sighted  people,  why  so  common. 
Heat  of  our  rooms.    Very  fine  print.    Spectacles.  Reading 
when  tired.  Rubbing  the  eyes.  Cold  water  to  the  eyes.  316—319 

Sec.  3.    Tasting  and  Smelling. 
Benumbing  the  senses.    How  this  has  often  been  done.  The 
teeth.    How  to  preserve  them  319—320 

Sec.  4.  Feeling. 
Corpulence  and  slovenliness.    Sense  of  touch.    The  blind — 
how  taught  to  read.    Hint  to  parents.    The  hand.  Neglect- 
ing the  left  hand.    Physiology  of  the  hand  and  arm.    Evils  of 
beinsr  able  to  use  but  one  hand.  Both  should  be  educated.  320 — 324 


CHAPTER  XX.  ABUSES. 

Bad  seats  of  children  at  table  and  elsewhere.  Why  children 
hate  Sunday.  Seats  at  Sabbath  school — at  church — at  dis- 
trict schools.  Suspending  children  between  the  heavens  and 
the  earth.  Cushions  to  sit  on.  Seats  with  backs.  Children 
in  factories.  The  evils  it  produces.  Bodily  punishment. 
Striking  the  heads  of  children  very  injurious.  Beating  across 
the  middle  of  the  body.  Anecdote  of  a  teacher.  Concluding 
advice  to  mothers  *   325—332 


PREFACE. 


There  is  a  prejudice  abroad,  to  some  extent, 
against  agitating  the  questions — "What  shall 
we  eat?  What  shall  we  drink?  and  Where- 
withal shall  we  be  clothed?" — not  so  much  be- 
cause the  Scriptures  have  charged  us  not  to 
be  over  "anxious"  on  the  subject,  as  because 
those  who  pay  the  least  attention  to  what  they 
eat  and  drink  are  supposed  to  be,  after  all,  the 
most  healthy. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  ascertain  how  this  opin- 
ion originated.  There  are  a  few  individuals 
who  are  perpetually  thinking  and  talking  on 
this  subject,  and  who  would  fain  comply  with 
appropriate  rules,  if  they  knew  what  they 
were,  and  if  a  certain  definite  course,  pursued 
2 


18 


PREFACE. 


a  few  days  only,  would  change  their  whole 
condition,  and  completely  restore  a  shattered 
or  ruined  constitution.  But  their  ignorance  of 
the  laws  which  govern  the  human  frame,  both 
in  sickness  and  in  health,  and  their  indisposi- 
tion to  pursue  any  proposed  plan  for  their  im- 
provement long  enough  to  receive  much  perma- 
nent benefit  from  it,  keep  them,  notwithstand- 
ing all  they  say  or  do,  always  deteriorating. 

Then,  on  the  other  hand,  there  are  a  few 
who,  in  consequence  of  possessing  by  nature 
very  strong  constitutions,  and  laboring  at  some 
active  and  peculiarly  healthy  employment,  are 
able  for  a  few,  and  perhaps  even  for  many 
years,  to  set  all  the  rules  of  health  at  defiance. 

Now  strange  as  it  may  seem,  these  cases, 
though  they  are  only  exceptions  (and  those 
more  apparent  than  real)  to  the  general  rule, 
are  always  dwelt  upon,  by  those  who  are  de- 
termined to  live  as  they  please,  and  to  put  no 
restraint  either  upon  themselves  or  their  appe- 


PREFACE. 


19 


tites.  For  nothing  can  be  plainer — so  it  seems 
to  me — than  that  taking  mankind  by  families, 
or  what  is  still  better,  by  larger  portions,  they 
are  most  free  from  pain  and  disease,  as  well  as 
most  healthy  and  happy,  who  pay  the  most 
attention  to  the  laws  of  human  health,  that 
is,  those  laws  or  rules  by  whose  observance 
alone,  that  health  can  be  certainly  and  per- 
manently secured. 

But  these  families  and  communities  are  most 
healthy  and  happy,  not  because  they  live  in  a 
proper  manner  by  fits  and  starts,  but  because 
they  have,  from  some  cause  or  other,  adopted 
and  persevered  in  habits  which,  compared 
with  the  habits  of  other  families,  or  other  com- 
munities, are  preferable ;  that  is,  more  in  obe- 
dience to  the  laws  which  govern  the  human 
constitution.  Not  that  even  they  are  "  without 
sin"  or  error  on  this  subject — gross  error  too — 
but  because  their  errors  are  fewer  or  less  de- 
structive than  those  of  their  neighbors. 


20 


PREFACE. 


Now  is  it  possible  that  any  intelligent  father 
or  mother  of  a  family  whose  diet,  clothing,  ex- 
ercise, &c.  are  thus  comparatively  well  regu- 
lated, would  derive  no  benefit  from  the  peru- 
sal of  works  which  treat  candidly,  rationally, 
and  dispassionately,  on  these  points?  Is  there 
a  mother  in  the  community  who  is  so  desti- 
tute of  reason  and  common  sense  as  not  t6 
desire  the  light  of  a  broader  experience  in  re- 
gard to  the  tendency  of  things  than  she  has 
had,  or  possibly  can  have,  in  her  own  family? 
Is  there  one  who  will  not  be  aided  by  under- 
standing not  only  that  a  certain  thing  or  course 
is  be  ter  than  another,  but  also  why  it  is  so? 

It  is  by  no  means  the  object  of  this  little 
work  to  set  people  to  watching  their  stomachs 
from  meal  to  meal,  in  regard  to  the  effects  of 
food,  drink,  &c;  for  nothing  in  the  world  is 
better  calculated  to  make  dyspeptics  than  this. 
It  is  true,  indeed,  that  some  things  may  be 
obviously  and  greatly  injurious,  taken  only 


PREFACE. 


21 


once;  and  when  they  are  so,  they  should  be 
avoided.  But  in  general,  it  is  the  effect  of  a 
habitual  use  of  certain  things  for  a  long  time 
together — and  the  longer  the  experiment  the 
better — which  we  are  to  observe. 

A  book  to  guide  mothers  in  the  formation  of 
early  good  habits  in  their  offspring,  should  be 
the  result  of  long  observation  and  much  experi- 
ment on  these  points,  but  more  especially  of  a 
thorough  understanding  of  human  physiology. 
It  should  not  consist  so  much  of  the  conceits  of 
a  single  brain — perhaps  half  turned — as  of  the 
logical  deductions  of  severe  science,  and  facts 
gleaned  from  the  world's  history. 

Here  is  a  nation,  or  tribe  of  men,  bringing 
up  children  to  certain  habits,  from  generation 
to  generation, — and  such  and  such  is  their 
character.  Here,  again,  is  another  large  por- 
tion of  our  race,  who,  under  similar  circum- 
stances of  climate,  &c.  &c,  have,  for  several 
hundred  years,  educated  their  children  very 


22 


PREFACE. 


differently,  and  with  different  results.  A  com- 
parison of  things  on  a  large  scale,  together  with 
a  close  attention  to  the  constitution  and  rela- 
tions of  the  human  system,  affords  ground  for 
drawing  conclusions  which  are  or  may  be 
useful.  If  this  book  shall  not  afford  light  de- 
rived from  such  sources,  it  were  far  better  that 
it  had  never  been  written.  If  it  only  sets  people 
to  watching  over  the  effects  of  things  taken  or 
used  only  for  a  single  day,  instead  of  leading 
them  from  early  infancy  to  form  in  their  chil- 
dren such  habits  as  will  preclude,  in  a  great 
measure,  the  necessity  of  watching  ourselves 
daily,  then  let  the  day  perish  from  the  memory 
of  the  ATriter,  in  which  the  plan  of  bringing  it 
forth  to  the  world  was  conceived. 

But  he  is  confident  of  better  things.  He 
does  not  believe  that  a  work  which,  to  such 
an  extent,  gives  the  reason  why,  will  be  pro- 
ductive of  more  evil  than  good.  On  the  con- 
trary, it  must,  if  read,  have  the  opposite  effect. 


PREFACE. 


23 


I  do  not  deny  that  even  after  the  formation 
of  the  best  habits,  there  will  be  a  necessity  of 
paying  some  attention  to  what  we  eat  and 
what  we  drink,  from  day  to  day,  and  from 
hour  to  hour;  but  only  that  the  tendency  of 
this  work  is  not  to  increase  this  necessity,  but 
on  the  contrary,  to  diminish  it.  In  my  own 
view,  these  occasions  of  inquiry  in  regard  to 
what  is  right,  physically  as  well  as  morally ', 
are  one  part  of  our  trials  in  this  world — one 
means  of  forming  our  characters.  We  are 
constantly  tempted  to  excess  and  to  error,  in 
spite  of  the  most  firm  habits  of  self-denial 
which  can  be  formed.  If  we  resist  temptation, 
our  characters  are  improved.  And  it  is  by 
self-denial  and  self-government  in  these  smaller 
matters,  that  we  are  to  hope  for  nearly  all  the 
progress  we  can  ever  make  in  the  great  work 
of  self-education.  Great  trials  of  character 
come  but  seldom ;  and  when  they  come,  we 
axe  often  armed  against  them ;  but  these  little 


24 


PREFACE. 


trials  and  temptations  coming  upon  us  every 
hour — these  it  is,  after  all,  that  give  shape  to 
our  characters,  and  make  us  constantly  grow- 
ing either  better  or  worse,  both  in  the  sight  of 
God  and  man.  But  as  I  have  repeatedly  said, 
the  object  of  this  work  is  to  diminish  rather 
than  to  increase  the  frequency  of  these  trials, 
useful  though  they  may  be,  if  duly  improved, 
in  the  formation  of  virtuous,  and  even  of  holy 
character. 

There  is  a  sense  in  which  every  infant  may 
be  said  to  be  born  healthy,  so  that  we  may 
not  only  adopt  the  language  of  the  poet,  Bow- 
ring,  and  say 

 "  a  child  is  born  ; 

Take  it  and  make  it  a  bud  of  moral  beauty/' 

but  we  may  also  add — Take  it  and  make  it 
beautiful  physically.  For  though  a  hereditary 
predisposition  undoubtedly  renders  some  indi- 
viduals more  susceptible  than  others  to  par- 


PREFACE. 


25 


ticular  diseases,  yet  when  the  bodily  organiza- 
tion of  an  infant  is  complete,  and  the  degree  of 
vitality  which  nature  gives  it  sufficient  to  pro- 
pel the  machinery  of  the  frame,  it  can  scarcely 
be  regarded  as  in  any  other  state  than  that  of 
health. 

Now  if  it  be  the  intention  of  divine  Provi- 
dence (and  who  will  doubt  that  it  is?)  that 
the  animal  body  should  be  capable  of  resisting 
with  impunity  the  impressions  of  heat,  cold, 
light,  air,  and  the  various  external  influences 
to  which,  at  birth,  it  is  subjected,  it  may  be 
properly  asked  why  this  primitive  state  of 
health  cannot  be  maintained,  and  diseases, 
and  medicines,  and  even  preventives  Avholly 
avoided. 

But  the  reason  is  obvious.  Civilized  society 
has  placed  the  human  race  in  artificial  circum- 
stances. Instead  of  listening  to  the  dictates  of 
reason,  making  ourselves  acquainted  with  the 
nature  of  the  human  constitution,  and  studying 


26 


PREFACE. 


to  preserve  it  in  health  and  vigor,  we  yield  to 
the  government  of  ignorance  and  presumption. 
The  first  moment,  even,  in  which  we  draw 
breath,  sees  us  placed  under  the  control  of 
individuals  who  are  totally  inadequate  to  the 
important  charge  of  preserving  the  infant  con- 
stitution in  its  original  state,  and  aiding  its 
progress  to  maturity.  And  thus  it  is  that 
though  infants,  as  a  general  rule,  may  be  said 
to  be  born  healthy,  few  actually  remain  so. 
Seldom,  indeed,  do  we  find  a  person  who  has 
arrived  at  maturity  wholly  free  from  disease3 
even  in  those  parts  of  our  country  which  are 
reckoned  to  have  the  most  healthy  climate. 

It  is  indeed  commonly  said  that  a  large  pro- 
portion, both  of  children  and  adults,  among 
the  agricultural  portion  of  our  population,  are 
healthy.  But  it  is  not  so.  There  is  room  for 
doubt  whether,  on  the  whole,  the  farmers  of 
this  country  are  healthier  than  the  mechanics, 
or  much  more  so  than  the  manufacturers ;  or 


PREFACE. 


27 


the  whole  mass  of  the  country  population 
healthier  than  that  of  the  crowded  city.  The 
causes  of  disease  are  sufficiently  numerous,  in 
all  places  and  conditions ;  and  this  will  con- 
tinue to  be  the  fact,  not  merely  until  parents 
and  teachers  shall  become  more  enlightened, 
but  until  many  generations  have  been  trained 
under  their  enlightened  influence. 

If  the  children  and  adults  among  our  agri- 
cultural population  derive  from  their  employ- 
ments in  the  open  air  a  more  ruddy  appear- 
ance than  those  either  of  the  city  or  country 
who  are  confined  more  to  to  their  rooms,  or  to 
a  vitiated  atmosphere,  and  to  numerous  other 
sources  of  disease,  and  if  they  appear  more 
favored  with  health,  I  have  learned,  by  accu- 
rate observation,  that  these  appearances  are 
somewhat  deceptive.  Their  active  sports  and 
employments  in  the  open  air  give  them  a 
stronger  appetite  than  any  other  class  of  peo- 
ple ;  and  the  indulgence  of  this  appetite,  not 


28 


PREFACE. 


only  with  articles  which  are  heating  or  indi- 
gestible in  their  nature,  but  with  an  unrea- 
sonable quantity  even  of  those  which  are  con- 
sidered highly  proper,  is  almost  in  an  exact 
proportion.  And  it  is  hence  scarcely  possible 
for  the  causes  of  disease  and  premature  death 
to  be  more  operative  in  factories  and  in  cities 
than  in  farm  houses  and  the  country.  Indeed 
it  may  be  questioned  whether  the  abuses  of 
the  animal  part  of  man — more  common  in  some 
of  their  forms  in  country  than  in  city — though 
they  may  be  less  conspicuous,  are  not  more 
certainly  and  even  more  immediately  destruc- 
tive than  those  abuses  which,  in  city  life,  and 
bustle,  and  competition,  affect  more  the  moral 
nature. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  however — for  this  is  not 
the  place  for  the  grave  discussion  of  so  broad 
a  question — one  thing,  to  my  mind,  is  perfectly 
clear,  viz.,  that  until  physical  education  shall 
receive  more  attention  from  all  those  who  hold 


PREFACE. 


29 


the  sacred  office  of  instructors  of  the  young, 
humanity  can  neither  be  much  elevated  nor 
improved.  Mothers  and  schoolmasters  espe- 
cially— they  who,  as  Dr.  Rush  says,  plant  the 
seeds  of  nearly  all  the  good  or  evil  in  the 
world — must  understand,  most  deeply  and 
thoroughly,  the  laws  which  regulate  the  va- 
rious provinces  of  the  little  world  in  which  the 
soul  resides,  and  which,  like  so  many  states  of 
a  great  confederacy,  have  not  only  their  sepa- 
rate interests  and  rights,  but  certain  common 
and  general  ones ;  as  well  as  those  laws  by 
which  the  human  constitution  is  related  to 
and  connected  with  the  objects  which  every- 
where surround,  and  influence,  and  limit,  and 
extend  it. 

This  book  contains  little  if  anything  new  to 
those  who  are  already  familiar  with  anatomy 
and  physiology.  Indeed,  whatever  may  be  its 
claims,  its  merits  or  its  demerits,  it  disclaims 
novelty.    It  is,  indeed,  in  one  point  of  view. 


30  PREFACE. 

original; — I  mean,  in  its  form,  manner  and 
arrangement.  What  I  have  written  is  chiefly 
from  my  own  resources — the  results  of  patient 
study  and  observation,  and  careful  reflection ; 
but  that  study  and  observation  of  human  na- 
ture, and  this  reflection,  have  been  greatly 
aided  by  reading  the  writings  of  others. 

In  the  prosecution  of  the  task  which  I  had 
assigned  myself,  no  work  has  been  of  more 
service  to  me  than  an  octavo  volume  of  548 
pages,  by  Dr.  Wm.  P.  Dewees,  of  Philadel- 
phia, entitled,  UA  Treatise  on  the  Physical 
and  Medical  Treatment  of  Children."  It  is 
one  of  the  most  valuable  works  on  Physical 
Education  in  the  English  language,  as  is  evi- 
dent from  the  fact  that  notwithstanding  its 
expense — three  or  four  dollars — it  has,  in  nine 
years,  gone  through  five  editions.  If  it  were 
written  in  such  a  style,  and  published  at  such 
a  price  as  would  bring  it  within  reach  of  the 
minds  and  purses  of  the  mass  of  the  commu- 


PREFACE.  31 

nity,  its  sale  would  have  been,  I  think,  much 
greater  still ;  and  the  good  which  it  has  ac- 
complished would  have  been  increased  ten 
fold. 

If  the  u  Young  Mother"  should  be  favora- 
bly received  by  the  American  community,  and 
prove  extensively  useful,  it  will  undoubtedly 
be  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  presents  so  large  a 
collection  of  facts  and  principles  on  the  great 
subject  of  physical  education,  in  a  manner  so 
practical,  and  at  a  price  which  is  very  low. 
To  accomplish  an  object  so  desirable  is  by  no 
means  an  easy  task.  It  was  once  said  by  the 
author  of  a  huge  volume,  that  he  wrote  so 
large  a  work  because  he  had  not  time  to  pre- 
pare a  smaller  one.  And  however  unaccount- 
able it  may  be  to  those  who  have  not  made 
the  trial,  it  may  be  safely  asserted  that  to  pre- 
sent, within  limits  so  small,  anything  like  a 
system  of  Physical  Education  for  the  guidance 
of  young  mothers,  requires  much  more  time, 


32 


PREFACE. 


and  labor,  and  patience,  than  to  prepare  a 
work  on  the  same  subject  twice  as  large. 
Nor  is  it  to  be  expected  that  the  work  is  per- 
fect, after  all.  Future  editions— should  they 
be  demanded — may  supply  deficiencies ;  and 
farther  examination,  observation,  and  reflection 
furnish  material  for  alterations. 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  NURSERY. 


Preliminary  remarks.  An  apology. 

It  is  far  from  being  in  the  power  of  every  young 
mother  to  procure  a  suitable  room  for  a  nursery. 
In  the  present  state  of  society,  the  majority  must 
be  contented  with  such  places  as  they  can  get. 
Still  there  are  various  reasons  for  saying  what  a 
nursery  should  be.  1.  It  may  be  of  service  to 
those  who  have  the  power  of  selection.  2.  Infor- 
mation cannot  injure  those  who  have  not.  3.  It 
may  lead  those  who  have  wealth  to  extend  the 
hand  of  charity  in  this  important  direction ;  for 
there  are  not  a  few  who  have  little  sympathy  with 
the  wants  and  distresses  of  the  adult  poor,  who 
will  yet  open  their  hearts  and  unfold  their  hands 
for  the  relief  of  suffering  infancy. 

Among  those  who  have  what  is  called  a  nur- 
sery, few  select  for  this  purpose  the  most  appro- 
3 


34 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Situation  of  the  nursery.  Its  construction. 

priate  part  of  the  building.  It  is  not  unfrequently 
the  one  that  can  best  be  spared,  is  most  retired,  or 
most  convenient.  Whether  it  is  most  favorable  to 
the  health  and  happiness  of  its  occupants,  is  usually 
at  best  a  secondary  consideration. 

But  this  ought  not  so  to  be.  A  nursery  should 
never,  for  example,  be  on  a  ground  floor,  or  in  a 
shaded  situation,  or  in  any  circumstances  which 
expose  it  to  dampness,  or  hinder  the  occasional 
approach  of  the  light  of  the  sun.  It  should  be 
spacious,  with  dry  walls,  high  ceiling,  and  tight 
windows.  The  latter  should  always  be  so  con- 
structed that  the  upper  sash  can  be  lowered,  when 
we  wish  to  admit  or  exclude  air.  It  should  have 
a  chimney,  if  possible  ;  but  if  not,  there  should  be 
suitable  holes  in  the  ceiling,  for  the  purposes  of 
ventilation. 

The  windows  should  have  shutters,  so  that  the 
room,  when  necessary,  can  be  darkened — and  green 
curtains.  Some  writers  say  that  the  windows 
should  have  cross  bars  before  them  ;  but  if  they 
do  not  descend  within  three  feet  of  the  floor,  such 
an  arrangement  can  hardly  be  required. 

It  is  highly  desirable  that  every  nursery  should 
consist  of  two  rooms,  opening  into  each  other ;  or 
what  is  still  better,  of  one  large  room,  with  a  sliding 
or  swinging  partition  in  the  middle.    The  use 


THE  NURSERY. 


35 


Its  interior.  Partition.  Furniture. 

of  this  is,  that  the  mother  and  child  may  retire  to 
one,  while  the  other  is  being  swept  or  ventilated. 
They  would  thus  avoid  damp  air,  currents  and 
dust.  Such  an  arrangement  would  also  give  the 
occupants  a  room  fresh,  clean  and  swTeet,  in  the 
morning,  (which  is  a  very  great  advantage,)  after 
having  rendered  the  air  of  the  other  foul  by 
sleeping  in  it. 

In  winter,  and  while  there  is  an  infant  in  the 
nursery,  just  beginning- to  walk;  it  is  recommended 
by  many  to  cover  the  floor  with  a  carpet.  The 
only  advantage  which  they  mention  is,  that  it 
secures  the  child  from  injury  if  it  falls.  But  I 
have  seldom  seen  lasting  injury  inflicted  by  simple 
falls  on  the  hard  floor ;  and  there  are  so  many 
objections  to  carpeting  a  nursery,  since  it  favors  an 
accumulation  of  dust,  bad  air,  damp,  grease,  and 
other  impurities,  that  it  seems  to  me  preferable  to 
omit  it.  Many  physicians,  I  must  own,  recom- 
mend carpets  during  winter,  though  not  in  sum- 
mer ;  and  in  no  case,  unless  they  are  well  shaken 
and  aired,  at  least  once  a  week. 

No  furniture  should  be  admissible,  except  the 
beds  for  the  mother  and  child,  a  table,  and  a 
few  chairs.  With  the  best  writers  and  highest 
authorities  on  the  subject,  I  am  decidedly  of  the 
opinion  that  all  feather  beds  ought  effectually  and 


36 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Crevices.  Cats  and  dogs.  Bright  objects* 

forever  to  be  excluded  from  nurseries.  The  rea- 
sons for  this  prohibition  will  appear  hereafter. 

Every  nursery  should,  if  possible,  be  free  from 
holes  or  crevices  ;  otherwise,  the  occupants  will  be 
exposed  to  currents  of  air,  and  their  sometimes 
terrible  and  always  injurious  consequences.  The 
room  may,  in  this  way,  be  kept  at  a  lower  medium 
temperature — a  point  of  very  great  importance. 

Cats  and  dogs,  I  believe,  are  usually  excluded 
from  the  nursery  ;— if  not,  they  ought  to  be.  For 
though  the  apprehension  of  cats'  "  sucking  the 
child's  breath,"  is  wTholly  groundless,  yet  they 
may  be  provoked,  by  the  rude  attacks  of  a  child, 
to  inflict  upon  it  a  lasting  injury.  Besides,  they 
assist,  by  respiration,  in  contaminating  the  air,  like 
all  other  animals. 

One  thing  more.  If  there  are,  in  the  nursery, 
objects  which,  from  the  vivacity  or  brilliancy  of 
their  colors,  attract  the  attention  of  the  child,  they 
should  never  be  presented  to  them  sideways,  or 
immediately  over  their  heads.  The  reason  for 
this  caution  is,  that  children  seek,  and  pursue 
almost  instinctively,  bright  objects ;  and  are  thus 
liable  to  contract  a  habit  of  moving  their  eyes 
in  an  oblique  direction,  which  may  terminate  in 
squinting. 


CHAPTER  II. 

TEMPERATURE. 


A  general  rule.  Will  it  apply  here  ? 

There  is  one  general  principle,  on  this  sub- 
ject, which  is  alike  applicable  to  all  persons  and 
circumstances.  It  is,  to  keep  a  little  too  cool, 
rather  than  in  the  slightest  degree  too  warm.  In 
other  words,  the  lowest  temperature  which  is  com- 
patible with  comfort,  is,  in  all  cases,  best  adapted 
to  health ;  and  a  slight  degree  of  coldness,  pro- 
vided it  amount  not  to  a  chill,  and  is  not  long 
continued,  is  more  safe  than  the  smallest  unneces- 
sary degree  of  warmth. 

But  the  application  of  this  rule  to  those  over 
whom  we  have  control,  is  not  without  its  difficul- 
ties. Our  own  sensations  are  so  variable,  inde- 
pendent of  external  and  obvious  causes,  that  we 
cannot  at  all  times  judge  for  others,  especially  for 
infants.  The  absolute  and  real  state  of  tempera- 
ture in  a  room  can  only  be  ascertained  with  the 
aid  of  a  thermometer ;  and  no  nursery  should  ever 
be  without  one.  It  should  be  placed,  however, 
in  such  a  situation  as  to  indicate  the  real  tempera- 


38 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Use  of  a  thermometer.  Of  heated  air. 

ture  of  the  atmosphere,  and  not  where  it  will  give 
a  false  result. 

No  mother  should  forget  that  the  infant,  at 
birth,  has  not  the  power  of  generating  heat,  inter- 
nally, to  the  extent  which  it  possesses  afterward. 
The  lungs  have  as  yet  but  a  feeble,  inefficient 
action.  The  purification  of  the  blood,  through 
their  agency,  is  not  only  incomplete,  but  the  heat 
evolved  is  as  yet  inconsiderable.  In  the  absence 
of  internal  heat,  then,  there  is  an  increased  de- 
mand externally.  If  60°  be  deemed  suitable  for 
most  other  persons,  the  new-born  infant  may,  for 
a  fewT  days,  require  65°  or  even  70°. 

Much  may  and  should  be  done  in  preserving 
the  child  in  a  proper  temperature  by  means  of  its 
clothing.  On  this  point  I  shall  speak  at  length, 
in  another  part  of  this  work.  My  present  pur- 
pose is  simply  to  treat  of  the  temperature  of  the 
nursery. 

The  best  way  of  warming  a  nursery — or  indeed 
any  other  room,  where  mere  warmth  is  de- 
manded— is  by  means  of  air  heated  in  other  apart- 
ments, and  admitted  through  openings  in  the  floor 
or  fire-place.  The  air  is  not  only  thus  made 
more  pure,  but  every  possibility  of  accidents,  such 
as  having  the  clothes  take  fire,  is  precluded.  This 
last  consideration  is  one  of  very  great  importance, 


J 


TEMPERATURE.  39 

Stoves.  Objections  to  fire-places. 

and  I  hope  will  not  be  much  longer  overlooked 
in  infantile  education. 

Next  to  that,  in  point  of  usefulness  and  safety, 
is  a  stove,  placed  near  or  in  the  fire-place,  and 
defended  by  an  iron  railing.  Most  people  prefer 
an  open  scove  ;  and  on  some  accounts  it  is  indeed 
preferable,  especially  where  it  is  desirable  to  burn 
coal.  Still  I  think  that  the  direct  rays  of  the 
heat,  and  the  glare  of  light  from  open  stoves  and 
fire-places,  particularly  for  the  young,  form  a  very 
serious  objection  to  their  use. 

One  of  the  strongest  objections  to  open  stoves 
and  fire-places  in  the  nursery  is,  the  increased  ex- 
posure to  accidents.  I  know  it  is  said  that  this 
evil  may  be  avoided  by  laying  aside  the  use  of 
cotton,  and  wearing  nothing  but  worsted  or  flan- 
nel.  This  is  indeed  true ;  but  I  do  not  like  the 
idea  of  being  compelled  to  dress  children  in  flan- 
nel or  worsted,  at  all  times  when  the  least  particle 
of  fire  is  demanded ;  for  this  would  be  to  wear 
this  stimulating  kind  of  clothing,  in  our  climate, 
the  greater  part  of  the  year. 

Besides,  I  write  for  many  mothers  who  are 
compelled  to  use  cotton,  on  account  of  the  ex- 
pense of  flannel.  And  if  the  stove  be  a  close 
one,  and  well  defended  by  a  railing,  cotton  will 
seldom  expose  to  danger.     Still,  as  has  been 


40 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Excessive  heat.  Its  dangers. 

already  said,  the  introduction  of  heated  air  from 
another  apartment,  whenever  it  can  possibly  be 
afforded,  is  incomparably  better  than  either  stoves 
or  fire-places. 

Dr.  Dewees  is  fully  persuaded  that  the  exces- 
sive heat  of  nurseries  has  occasioned  a  great  mor- 
tality among  very  young  children.  "  In  the  first 
place,"  he  says,  "  it  over-stimulates  them  ;  and  in 
the  second,  it  renders  them  so  susceptible  of  cold, 
that  any  draught  of  cold  air  endangers  their  lives. 
They  are  in  a  constant  perspiration,  which  is  fre- 
quently checked  by  an  exposure  to  even  an  atmos- 
phere of  moderate  temperature."  If  this  is  but 
to  repeat  what  has  already  been  said,  the  im- 
portance of  the  subject  seems  to  be  a  sufficient 
apology. 


CHAPTER  III. 

VENTILATION. 


Necessity  of  pure  air.  Why. 

Few  people  take  sufficient  pains  to  preserve 
the  air  in  any  of  their  apartments  pure ;  for  few 
know  what  the  constitution  of  our  atmosphere  is, 
and  in  how  many  ways  and  with  what  ease  it  is 
rendered  impure. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  go  into  a  learned,  scien- 
tific account  in  this  place  or  even  in  this  work,  of 
the  constitution  of  the  atmosphere.  A  few  plain 
statements  are  all  that  are  indispensable. 

The  atmosphere  which  we  breathe  is  composed 
of  two  different  airs  or  gases.  One  of  these  is 
called  oxygen,*  and  the  other  nitrogen.  There 


*  Oxygen  gas  is  the  chief  supporter  of  combustion,  as 
well  as  of  respiration.  It  is  the  vital  part,  as  it  were,  of 
the  air.  No  animal  or  vegetable  could  long  exist  without 
it.  And  yet  if  alone,  unmixed,  it  is  too  pure  and  too 
refined  for  animals  to  breathe.  Nitrogen  gas,  on  the 
contrary,  while  alone,  will  not  support  either  respiration 
or  combustion  ;  mixed,  however,  with  oxygen,  it  dilutes 
it,  and  in  the  most  happy  manner  fits  it  for  reception  into 
the  lungs. 


42 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Oxygen  and  nitrogen.  Their  uses. 

is  another  gas  usually  found  with  these  two,  in 
smaller  quantity,  called  carbonic  acid  gas ;  but 
whether  it  is  necessary,  in  a  very  small  quantity, 
to  health,  chemists,  I  believe,  are  not  agreed. 
One  thing,  however,  is  certain — that  if  any  portion 
of  it  is  healthful,  it  must  be  very  little — not  more, 
certainly,  than  one-fiftieth  or  one-hundredth  of  the 
whole  mass. 

It  is  by  means  of  the  oxygen  it  contains,  that 
air  sustains  life  and  combustion.  Were  it  not  for 
this,  neither  fires  nor  candles  would  burn,  and  no 
animal  could  breathe  a  single  moment.  Breath- 
ing consumes  this  oxygen  of  the  air  very  rapidly. 
When  the  oxygen  is  present  in  about  a  certain 
proportion,  combustion  and  respiration  go  on  well: 
but  when  its  natural  proportion  is  diminished,  the 
fire  does  not  burn  so  well,  neither  does  the  candle ; 
and  no  one  can  breathe  so  freely. 

Not  only  are  breathing  and  combustion  im- 
peded or  disturbed  by  the  diminution  of  oxygen 
in  the  atmosphere,  but  just  in  proportion  as  oxy- 
gen is  diminished  by  these  two  processes,  or  either 
of  them,  carbonic  acid  is  formed,  which  is  not  only 
bad  for  combustion,  but  much  worse  for  health. 
If  any  considerable  quantity  of  it  is  inhaled,  it 
appears  to  be  an  absolute  poison  to  the  human 
system :  and  if  in  very  large  quantity ,  will  often 
cause  immediate  death. 


VENTILATION. 


43 


Carbonic  acid  gas.  Other  impurities. 

It  is  this  gas,  accumulated  in  large  quantities, 
that  destroys  so  many  people  in  close  rooms, 
where  there  is  no  chimney,  nor  any  other  place 
for  the  bad  air  to  escape.  But  it  not  only  kills 
people  outright — it  partly  kills,  that  is,  it  poisons, 
more  or  less,  hundreds  of  others. 

In  a  nursery  there  is  the  mother  and  child,  and 
perhaps  the  nurse,  to  render  the  air  impure  by 
breathing,  the  fire  and  the  lamp  or  candle  to  con- 
tribute to  the  same  result,  besides  several  other 
causes  not  yet  mentioned.  One  of  these  is  nearly 
related  to  the  former.  I  allude  to  the  fact  that 
our  skins,  by  perspiration  and  by  other  means,  are 
a  source  of  much  impurity  to  the  atmosphere ;  a 
fact  which  will  be  more  fully  explained  and  illus- 
trated in  the  chapters  on  Bathing  and  Cleanliness. 
It  is  only  necessary  to  say,  in  this  place,  that  it  is 
not  the  matter  of  perspiration  alone  which,  issuing 
from  the  skin,  renders  the  air  impure;  there  are 
other  exhalations  more  or  less  constantly  going  off 
from  every  living  body,  especially  from  the  lungs ; 
and  carbonic  acid  gas  is  even  formed  all  over  the 
surface  of  the  skin,  as  well  as  by  means  of  the 
lungs. 

One  needs  no  better  proof  that  carbonic  acid  is 
formed  on  the  surface  of  the  body,  than  the  fact 
that  after  the  body  has  been  closely  covered  all 


44 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Curious  fact.  Covering  the  head  in  sleep. 

night,  if  you  introduce  a  candle  under  the  bed- 
clothes into  this  confined  air,  it  will  be  quickly 
extinguished,  because  there  is  too  much  carbonic 
acid  gas  there,  and  too  little  oxygen. 

We  may  hence  see  at  once  the  evil  of  covering 
the  heads  of  infants  when  they  lie  down — a  very 
common  practice.  The  air,  when  pure,  contains 
a  little  more  than  20  parts  of  oxygen,  and  a  little 
less  than  80  of  nitrogen.  Breathing  this  air,  as  I 
have  already  shown,  consumes  the  oxygen,  which 
is  so  necessary  to  life  and  health,  and  leaves  in  its 
place  an  increase  of  nitrogen  and  carbonic  acid 
gas,  which  are  not  necessary  to  health,  and  the 
latter  of  which  is  even  positively  injurious.  But 
when  the  oxygen,  instead  of  forming  20  or  more 
parts  in  100  of  the  atmosphere  of  the  nursery,  is 
reduced  to  15  or  18  parts  only,  and  the  carbonic 
acid  gas  is  increased  from  1  or  2  parts  in  100, 
to  5,  6,  8  or  10 — when  to  this  is  added  the  other 
noxious  exhalations  from  the  body,  and  from  the 
lamp  or  candle,  fire-place,  feather  bed,  stagnant 
fluids  in  the  room,  &c,  %m. — is  it  any  wonder 
that  children,  in  the  end,  become  sickly  ?  What 
else  could  be  expected  but  that  the  seeds  of  dis- 
ease, thus  early  sown,  should  in  due  time  spring 
up,  and  produce  their  appropriate  fruits  ? 


VENTILATION. 


45. 


Does  fire  purify  the  air  ?  Feather  beds. 

It  is  sometimes  said  that  fire  in  a  room  purifies  it. 
It  undoubtedly  does  so  to  a  certain  extent,  if  fresh 
air  be  often  admitted  ;  but  not  otherwise. 

I  have  classed  feather  beds  among  the  common 
causes  of  impurity.  Dr.  Dewees  also  condemns 
them,  most  decidedly;  and  gives  substantial  reasons 
for  "  driving  them  from  the  nursery." 

In  speaking  of  the  structure  of  the  room  used 
for  a  nursery,  I  have  adverted  to  the  importance 
of  having  a  large  or  double  room,  with  sliding 
doors  between,  in  order  that  the  occupants  may 
go  into  one  of  them,  while  the  other  is  being  ven- 
tilated. But  whatever  may  be  the  structure  of 
the  room,  the  circumstances  of  the  occupants,  or 
the  state  of  the  weather,  every  nursery  ought  to 
be  most  thoroughly  ventilated,  once  a  day,  at 
least ;  and  when  the  weather  is  tolerable,  twice  a 
day.  If  there  is  but  one  apartment,  and  fear  is 
entertained  of  the  dampness  of  the  fresh  air  intro- 
duced, or  of  currents,  and  if  the  mother  and  babe 
cannot  retire,  there  is  a  last  resort,  which  is  for 
them  to  get  into  bed,  and  cover  themselves  a 
short  time  with  the  clothing.  For  though  I  have 
prohibited  the  covering  of  the  face  with  the  bed- 
clothes for  any  considerable  length  of  time  together, 
yet  to  do  so  for  some  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  is  an 
evil  of  far  less  magnitude  than  to  suffer  an  apart* 


46 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Lamps  in  a  nursery.  Washing,  ironing,  &c. 

ment  to  remain  without  being  ventilated,  for  twenty- 
four  hours  together — a  very  common  occurrence. 

When  a  lamp  is  kept  burning  in  a  nursery 
during  the  night,  it  should  always  be  placed  at 
the  door  of  the  stove,  or  in  the  chimney-place, 
that  its  smoke,  and  the  bad  airs  or  gases  which 
are  formed,  may  escape.  But  it  is  better,  in  gen- 
eral, to  avoid  burning  lamps  or  candles  during  the 
night.  By  means  of  common  matches,  a  light 
may  be  produced,  when  necessary,  almost  in- 
stantly ;  especially  if  you  have  a  spirit  lamp  in  the 
nursery,  or  what  is  still  better,  one  of  spirit  gas — 
that  is,  a  mixture  of  alcohol  and  turpentine. 

It  is  highly  desirable  that  all  washing,  ironing 
and  cooking  should  be  avoided  in  the  nursery. 
They  load  the  air  with  noxious  effluvia  or  vapor, 
or  with  particles  of  dust ;  none  of  which  ought 
ever  to  enter  the  delicate  lungs  of  an  infant. 

Fumigations  with  camphor,  vinegar  and  other 
similar  substances,  have  long  been  in  reputation  as 
a  means  of  purifying  the  air  in  sick-rooms  and  nur- 
series :  but  they  are  of  very  little  consequence* 
Fresh  air,  if  it  can  be  had,  is  always  better. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  CHILD'S  DRESS. 


Object  of  dress.  Swathing  the  body. 

Dress  serves  three  important  purposes: — 1.  To 
cover  us ;  2.  To  defend  us  against  cold ;  3.  To 
defend  our  bodies  and  limbs  from  injury.  There 
is  one  more  purpose  of  dress — in  case  of  deformity, 
it  serves  to  improve  the  appearance. 

In  all  our  arrangements  in  regard  to  dress, 
whether  of  children  or  of  adults,  we  should  ever 
keep  in  mind  the  above  principles.  The  form, 
fashion,  material,  application,  and  quantity  of  all 
clothing,  especially  for  infants,  ought  to  be  regu- 
lated by  these  three  or  four  rules. 

The  subject  of  this  chapter  is  one  of  so  much 
importance,  and  embraces  such  a  variety  of  items, 
that  it  will  be  more  convenient,  both  to  the  reader 
and  myself,  to  consider  it  under  several  minor 
heads. 

Sec.  1.    Swathing  the  Body. 

Buffon,  in  his  "Natural  History,"  says  that  in 
France,  an  infant  has  hardly  enjoyed  the  liberty 
of  moving  and  stretching  its  limbs,  before  it  is  put 


48 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


French  mode  of  swathing.       Only  a  simple  band  necessary. 

into  confinement.  "  It  is  swathed/'  says  he,  "  its 
head  is  fixed,  its  legs  are  stretched  out  at  full 
length,  and  its  arms  placed  straight  down  by  the 
side  of  its  body.  In  this  manner  it  is  bound  tight 
with  cloths  and  bandages,  so  that  it  cannot  stir  a 
limb  ;  indeed  it  is  fortunate  that  the  poor  thing  is 
not  muffled  up  so  as  to  be  unable  to  breathe." 

All  swathing,  except  with  a  single  bandage 
around  the  abdomen,  is  decidedly  unreasonable, 
injurious  and  cruel.  I  do  not  pretend  that  the 
remarks  of  M.  BufFon  are  fully  applicable  to  the 
condition  of  infants  in  the  United  States.  The 
good  sense  of  the  community  nowhere  permits  us 
to  transform  a  beautiful  babe  quite  into  an  Egyp- 
tian munlmy.  Still  there  are  many  considerable 
errors  on  the  subject  of  infantile  dress,  which,  in 
the  progress  of  my  remarks,  I  shall  find  it  neces- 
sary to  expose. 

The  use  of  a  simple  band  cannot  be  objected 
to.  It  affords  a  general  support  to  the  abdomen, 
and  a  particular  one  to  the  umbilicus.  The  last 
point  is  one  of  great  importance,  where  there 
is  any  tendency  to  rupture  at  this  part  of  the 
body — a  tendency  which  very  often  exists  in  fee- 
ble children.  And  without  some  support  of  this 
kind,  crying,  coughing,  sneezing,  and  straining  in 
any  way,  might  greatly  aggravate  the  evil,  if  not 
produce  serious  consequences. 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


49 


Tight  swathing.  Its  evil  consequences. 

But,  in  order  to  afford  a  support  to  the  abdo- 
men in  the  best  manner,  it  is  by  no  means  neces- 
sary that  the  bandage  should  be  drawn  very  tight. 
Two  thirds  of  the  nurses  in  this  country  greatly 
err  in  this  respect,  and  suppose  that  the  more 
tightly  a  bandage  is  drawn,  the  better.  It  should 
be  firm,  but  yet  gently  yielding ;  and  therefore  a 
piece  of  flannel  cut  "  bias,"  as  it  is  termed,  or 
obliquely  with  respect  to  the  threads  of  which  it  is 
composed,  is  the  most  appropriate  material. 

If  the  attention  of  the  mother  were  necessary 
nowhere  else,  it  would  be  indispensable  in  the 
application  of  this  article.  If  she  do  not  take 
special  pains  to  prevent  it,  the  erring  though  well 
meaning  nurse  may  so  compress  the  body  with 
the  bandage  as  to  produce  pain  and  uneasiness, 
and  sometimes  severe  colic.  Nay,  worse  evils 
than  even  this  have  been  known  to  arise.  When 
a  child  sneezes,  or  coughs,  or  cries,  the  abdomen 
should  naturally  yield  gently  ;  but  if  it  is  so  con- 
fined that  it  cannot  yield  where  the  band  is 
applied,  it  will  yield  in  an  unnatural  proportion 
below,  to  the  great  danger  of  producing  a  species 
of  rupture,  no  less  troublesome  than  the  one  which 
such  tight  swathing  is  designed  to  prevent. 

But  besides  the  bandage  already  mentioned,  no 
other  restraint  of  the  body  and  limbs  of  a  child 
4 


50 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Confining-  the  body  and  limbs.  Making-  cripples. 

is  at  all  admissible.  The  Creator  has  kindly- 
ordained  that  the  human  body  and  limbs,  espe- 
cially its  muscles,  or  moving  powers,  shall  be 
developed  by  exercise.  Confine  an  arm  or  a  leg, 
even  in  a  child  of  ten  years  of  age,  and  the  limb 
will  not  increase  either  in  strength  or  size  as  it 
otherwise  would,  because  its  muscles  are  not 
exercised;  and  the  fact  is  still- more  obvious  in 
infancy. 

There  is  a  still  deeper  evil.  On  all  the  limbs 
are  fixed  two  sets  of  muscles ;  one  to  extend,  the 
other  to  draw  up  or  bend  the  limb.  If  you 
keep  a  limb  extended  for  a  considerable  time,  .you 
weaken  the  one  set  of  muscles ;  if  you  keep  it 
bent,  you  weaken  the  other.  This  weakness 
may  become  so  great  that  the  limb  will  be  ren- 
dered useless.  There  are  cases  on  record — well 
authenticated — where  children,  by  being  obliged 
to  sit  in  one  place  on  a  hard  floor,  have  been 
made  cripples  for  life.  Hundreds  of  others  are 
injured,  though  they  may  not  become  absolutely 
crippled. 

I  repeat  it,  therefore,  their  dress  should  be  so 
free  and  loose  that  they  may  use  their  little  limbs, 
their  necks  and  their  bodies,  as  much  as  they 
please;  and  in  every  desired  direction.  The  prac- 
tices of  confining  their  arms  while  they  lie  down> 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


51 


Restraint  of  plants  and  animals.  Form  of  the  dress. 

for  fear  they  should  scratch  themselves  with  their 
nails,  and  of  pinning  the  clothes  round  their  feet, 
are  therefore  highly  reprehensible.  Better  that 
they  should  even  occasionally  scratch  themselves 
with  their  nails,  than  that  they  should  be  made 
the  victims  of  injurious  restraint.  Who  would 
think  of  tying  up  or  muffling  the  young  lamb  or 
kid?  And  even  the  young  plant — what  think 
you  would  be  the  effect  if  its  leaves  and  branches 
could  not  move  gently  with  the  soft  breezes  ? 
Would  the  fluids  circulate,  and  health  be  pro- 
moted ;  or  would  they  stagnate,  and  a  morbid, 
sickly  and  dwarfish  state  be  the  consequence? 

Those  whose  object  is  to  make  infancy,  as  well 
as  any  other  period  of  existence,  a  season  of  hap- 
piness, will  not  fail  to  find  an  additional  motive  for 
giving  the  little  stranger  entire  freedom  in  the  land 
whither  he  has  so  recently  arrived,  especially 
when  he  seems  to  enjoy  it  so  much.  Who  can 
be  so  hardened  as  to  confine  him,  unless  com- 
pelled by  the  most  pressing  necessity  ? 

Sec.  2.    Form  of  the  Dress. 

On  this  subject  a  writer  in  the  London  Literary- 
Gazette  of  some  eight  or  ten  years  ago,  lays  down 
the  following  general  directions,  to  which,  in  cold 


52 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Plan  of  an  English  writer.  Its  advantages. 

weather,  there  can  be  but  one  possible  objection, 
which  is,  they  are  not  alamode,  and  are  not,  there- 
fore, likely  to  be  followed : 

"  All  that  a  child  requires,  so  far  as  regards 
clothing,  in  the  first  month  of  its  existence,  is  a 
simple  covering  for  the  trunk  and  extremities  of 
the  body,  made  of  a  material  soft  and  agreeable  to 
the  skin,  and  which  can  retain,  in  an  equable  de- 
gree, the  animal  temperature.  These  qualities  are 
to  be  found  in  perfection  in  fine  flannel ;  and  I 
recommend  that  the  only  clothing,  for  the  first 
month  or  six  weeks,  be  a  square  piece  of  flannel, 
large  enough  to  involve  fully  and  overlap  the  whole 
of  the  babe,  with  the  exception  of  the  head,  which 
should  be  left  totally  uncovered.  This  wrapper 
should  be  fixed  by  a  button  near  the  breast,  and 
left  so  loose  as  to  permit  the  arms  and  legs  to  be 
freely  stretched,  and  moved  in  every  direction.  It 
should  be  succeeded  by  a  loose  flannel  gown  with 
sleeves,  which  should  be  worn  till  the  end  of  the 
second  month  ;  after  which  it  may  be  changed  to 
the  common  clothing  used  by  children  of  this 
age." 

The  advantages  of  such  a  dress  are,  that  the 
movements  of  the  infant  will  be,  as  we  have 
already  seen,  free  and  unrestrained,  and  we  shall 
escape  the  misery  of  hearing  the  screams  which 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


53 


Healthful  sympathies.  Killing  children  by  kindness. 

now  so  frequently  accompany  .the  dressing  and 
undressing  of  almost  every  child.  No  chafings 
from  friction,  moreover,  can  occur ;  and  as  the 
insensible  perspiration  is  in  this  way  promoted  over 
the  whole  surface  of  the  body,  the  sympathy 
between  the  stomach  and  skin  is  happily  main- 
tained. A  healthy  sympathy  of  this  kind,  duly  kept 
up,  does  much  towards  preserving  the  stomach  in 
a  good  state,  and  the  skin  from  eruptions  and 
sores. 

But  as  I  apprehend  that  Christianity  is  not  yet 
very  deeply  rooted  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  pa- 
rents, I  have  already  expressed  my  doubts  whether 
they  are  prepared  to  receive  and  profit  by  advice 
at  once  rational  and  physiological.  Still  I  cannot 
help  hoping  that  I  shall  succeed  in  persuading 
mothers  to  have  every  part  of  a  child's  dress  per- 
fectly loose,  except  the  band  already  referred  to ; 
and  that  should  be  but  moderately  tight. 

Common  humanity  ought  to  teach  us  better 
than  to  put  the  body  of  a  helpless  infant  into  a 
vise,  and  press  it  to  death,  as  the  first  mark  of 
our  attention.  Who  has  not  been  struck  with  a 
strange  inconsistency  in  the  conduct  of  mothers 
and  nurses,  who,  while  they  are  so  exceedingly 
tender  towards  the  infant  in  some  points  as  to  in- 
jure it  by  their  kindness,  are  yet  almost  insensible 


54 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Dr.  Buchan's  opinion.  Opinion  of  the^author. 

to  its  cries  of  distress  while  dressing  it  ?  So  far, 
indeed,  are  they  from  feeling  emotions  of  pity, 
that  they  often  make  light  of  its  cries,  regarding 
them  as  signs  of  health  and  vigor. 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  I  confess,  that  the  first 
cries  of  an  infant,  if  strong,  both  indicate  and  pro- 
mote a  healthy  state  of  the  lungs,  to  a  certain 
extent ;  but  there  will  always  be  unavoidable  occa- 
sions enough  for  crying  to  promote  health,  even 
after  we  have  done  all  we  can  in  the  way  of 
avoiding  pain.  They  who  only  draw  the  child's 
dress  the  tighter,  the  more  it  cries,  are  guilty  of 
a  crime  of  little  less  enormity  than  murder. 

"  Think,"  says  Dr.  Buchan,  "  of  the  immense 
number  of  children  that  die  of  convulsions  soon 
after  birth ;  and  be  assured  that  these  (its  cries) 
are  much  oftener  owing  to  galling  pressure,  or 
some  external  injury,  than  to  any  inward  cause." 
This  same  writer  adds,  that  he  has  known  a  child 
which  was  "  seized  with  convulsion  fits "  soon 
after  being  "  swaddled,"  immediately  relieved  by 
taking  off  the  rollers  and  bandages  ;  and  he  says 
that  a  loose  dress  prevented  the  return  of  the 
disease. 

I  think  it  is  obvious  that  the  utmost  extent  to 
which  we  ought  to  go,  in  yielding  to  the  fashion, 
as  it  regards  form,  is  to  use  three  pieces  of  cloth- 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


Tight  lacing-.  This  work  of  torture  should  be  prevented. 

ing — the  shirt,  the  petticoat  and  the  frock ;  all  of 
which  must  be  as  loose  as  possible ;  and  before 
the  infant  begins  to  crawl .  about  much,  the  latter 
should  be  long,  for  the  sake  of  covering  the  feet 
and  legs.  At  four  or  five  years  of  age,  loose 
trowsers,  with  boys,  may  be  substituted  for  the 
petticoat ;  but  it  is  a  question  whether  something 
like  the  frock  might  not,  with  every  individual,  be 
usefully  retained  through  life.  ' 

I  wish  it  were  unnecessary,  in  a  book  like  this, 
to  join  in  the  general  complaint  against  tight  lacing 
any  part  of  the  body,  but  .  especially  the  chest. 
But  as  this  work  of  torture  is  sometimes  begun 
almost  from  the  cradle,  and  as  prevention  is  better 
than  cure,  the  hope  of  preventing  that  for  which 
no  cure  appears  yet  to  have  been  found,  leads  me 
to  make  a  few  remarks  on  the  subject. 

As  it  has  long  been  my  opinion  that  one  reason 
why  mothers  continue  to  overlook  the  subject  is, 
that  they  do  not  understand  the  structure  and 
motion  of  the  chest,  I  have  attempted  the  follow- 
ing explanation  and  illustration. 

I  have  already  said,  that  if  wre  bandage  tightly, 
for  a  considerable  time,  any  part  of  the  human 
frame,  it  is  apt  to  become  weaker.  The  more  a 
portion  of  the  frame  which  is  furnished  with  mus- 
cles, those  curious  instruments  of  motion,  is  used, 


56 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Importance  of  muscular  exercise.  Curious  facts. 

provided  it  is  not  over-exerted,  the  more  vigorous 
it  is.  Bind  up  an  arm,  or  a  hand,  or  a  foot,  and 
keep  it  bound  for  twelve  hours  of  the  day  for 
many  years,  and  think  you  it  will  be  as  strong  as 
it  otherwise  would  have  been  ?  Facts  prove  the 
contrary.  The  Chinese  swathe  the  feet  of  their 
infant  females ;  and  they  are  not  only  small  but 
weak. 

I  have  said  their  feet  are  smaller  for  being  ban- 
daged. So  is  a  hand  or  an  arm.  Action — healthy, 
constant  action — is  indispensable  to  the  perfect 
development  of  the  body  and  limbs.  Why  it  is 
so,  is  another  thing.  But  so  it  is ;  and  it  is  a 
principle  or  law  of  the  great  Creator  which  can- 
not be  evaded.  More  than  this ;  if  you  bind 
some  parts  of  the  body  tightly,  so  as  to  compress 
them  as  much  as  you  can  without  producing 
actual  pain,  you  will  find  that  the  part  not  only 
ceases  to  grow,  but  actually  dwindles  away.  I 
have  seen  this  tried  again  and  again.  Even  the 
solid  parts  perish  under  pressure.  When  a  per- 
son first  wears  a  false  head  of  hair,  the  clasp 
which  rests  upon  the  head,  at  the  upper  part  of 
the  forehead,  being  new  and  elastic,  and  pressing 
rather  closely,  will,  in  a  few  months,  often  make 
quite  an  indentation  in  the  cranium,  or  bone  of  the 
head. 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


57 


Mistake  of  mothers.  The  matter  explained. 

Now  is  it  probable — nay,  is  it  possible — that 
the  lungs,  especially  those  of  young  persons,  can 
expand  and  come  to  their  full  and  natural  size 
under  pressure,  even  though  the  pressure  should 
be  slight  ?  Must  they  not  be  weakened  ?  And 
if  the  pressure  be  strong,  as  it  sometimes  is,  must 
they  not  dwindle  away  ? 

We  know,  too,  from  the  nature  and  structure  of 
the  lungs  themselves,  that  tight  lacing  must  injure 
them.  Many  mothers  have  very  imperfect  notions 
of  what  physicians  mean,  when  they  say  that  cor- 
sets impede  the  circulation,  by  preventing  the  full 
and  undisturbed  action  of  the  lungs.  They  get 
no  higher  ideas  of  the  motion  of  the  chest,  than 
what  is  connected  with  bending  the  body  forward 
and  backward,  from  right  to  left,  &c.  They  know 
that,  if  dressed  too  tightly,  this  motion  is  not 
so  free  as  it  otherwise  would  be  ;  but  if  they  are 
not  so  closely  laced  as  to  prevent  that  free  bend- 
ing of  the  body  of  which  I  have  been  speaking, 
they  think  there  can  be  no  danger ;  or  at  least, 
none  of  consequence. 

Now  it  happens  that  this  sort  of  motion  is  not 
that  to  which  physicians  refer,  when  they  com- 
plain of  corsets.  Strictly  speaking,  this  bending 
of  the  whole  body  is  performed  by  the  muscles  of 
the  back,  and  not  those  of  the  chest.    The  latter 


58 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Nature  of  the  motion  of  the  chest.        A  bad  comparison. 

have  very  little  to  do  with  it.  It  is  true,  that 
even  this  motion  ought  not  to  be  hindered ;  but  if 
it  is,  the  evil  is  one  of  little  comparative  magni- 
tude. 

Every  time  we  breathe  naturally,  all  the  ribs, 
together  with  the  breast  bone,  have  motion.  The 
ribs  rise,  and  spread  a  little  outward,  especially 
towards  the  fore  part.  The  breast  bone  not  only 
rises,  but  swings  forward  a  little,  like  a  pendulum. 
But  the  moment  the  chest  is  swathed  or  bandaged, 
this  motion  must  be  hindered ;  and  the  more,  in 
proportion  to  the  tightness. 

On  this  point,  those  persons  make  a  sad  mis- 
take, who  say  that  "  a  busk  not  too  wide  nor  too 
rigid  seems  to  correspond  to  the  supporting  spine, 
and  to  assist,  rather  than  impede  the  efforts  of 
nature  to  keep  the  body  erect.'7 

Can  we  seriously  compare  the  offices  of  the 
spine  with  those  of  the  ribs,  and  suppose  that 
because  the  former  is  fixed  like  a  post,  at  the  back 
part  of  the  lungs,  therefore  an  artificial  post  in 
front  would  be  useful  ?  Why,  we  might  just  as 
well  arp-ue  in  favor  of  hanging  weights  to  a  door, 
or  a  clog  to  a  pendulum,  in  order  to  make  it  swing 
backwards  and  forwards  more  easily.  We  might 
almost  as  well  say  that  the  elbow  ought  to  be 
made  firm,  to  correspond  with  the  shoulders,  and 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


59 


Appeal  to  facts.  The  appearance  of  females. 

thus  become  advocates  for  letting  the  stays  or 
bandages  enclose  the  arm  above  the  elbow,  and 
fasten  it  firmly  to  the  side.  Indeed,  the  conse- 
quences in  the  latter  case,  aside  from  a  little  in- 
convenience, would  not  be  half  so  destructive  to 
health  as  in  the  former.  The  ribs,  where  they 
join  to  the  back  bone,  form  hinges ;  and  hinges 
are  made  for  motion.  But  if  you  fasten  them  to 
a  post  in  front,  of  what  value  are  the  hinges? 

If  mothers  ask  of  what  use  this  motion  of  the 
lungs  is,  it  is  only  necessary  to  refer  them  to  the 
chapter  on  Ventilation,  in  which  I  trust  the  sub- 
ject is  made  intelligible,  and  a  satisfactory  answer 
afforded. 

But  I  might  appeal  to  facts.  Let  us  look  at 
females  around  us  generally.  Do  their  counte- 
nances indicate  that  they  enjoy  as  good  health  as 
they  did  when  dress  was  worn  more  loosely? 
Have  they  not  oftener  a  leaden  hue,  as  if  the 
blood  in  them  was  darker  ?  Are  they  not  oftener 
short-breathed  than  formerly?  As  they  advance 
in  life,  have  they  not  more  chronic  diseases  ? 
Are  not  their  chests  smaller  and  weaker  ?  And 
as  the  doctrine,  that  if  one  member  suffers  all  the 
other  members  suffer  with  it,  is  not  less  true 
in  physiology  than  in  morals,  do  we  not  find 
other  organs  besides  the  lungs  weakened  ?  Sur- 


60 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Tight  lacing  ridiculed.  Tunisian  custom. 

geons  and  physicians,  who,  like  faithful  sentinels, 
have  watched  at  their  post  half  a  century,  tell  us, 
moreover,  that  if  these  foolish  and  injurious  prac- 
tices to  which  I  refer  are  tolerated  two  centuries 
longer,  every  female  will  be  deformed,  and  the 
whole  race  greatly  degenerated,  physically,  and 
morally. 

Those  with  whom  no  arguments  will  avail,  are 
recommended  to  read  the  following  remarks  from 
the  Moral  Reformer,  Vol.  I.  p.  119: 

"  It  is  related,  on  the  authority  of  Macgill,  that 
in  Tunis,  after  a  girl  is  engaged,  or  betrothed,  she 
is  then  fattened.  For  this  purpose,  she  is  cooped 
up  in  a  small  room,  and  shackles  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver are  placed  upon  her  ancles  and  wrists,  as  a 
piece  of  dress.  If  she  is  to  be  married  to  a  man 
who  has  discharged,  despatched,  or  lost  a  former 
wife,  the  shackles  which  the  former  wife  wore  are 
put  on  the  new  bride's  limbs,  and  she  is  fed  till 
they  are  filled  up  to  a  proper  thickness.  The 
food  used  for  this  custom  worthy  of  the  barbarians 
is  called  drought  which  is  of  an  extraordinary  fat- 
tening quality,  and  also  famous  for  rendering  the 
milk  of  the  nurse  rich  and  abundant.  With  this 
and  their  national  dish,  cuscasoo,  the  bride  is  lit- 
erally crammed,  and  many  actually  die  under  the 
spoon. 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


61 


Customs  in  America.  Materials  of  dress. 

"  We  laugh  at  all  this,  and  well  we  may ;  but 
there  are  customs  not  very  far  from  home,  no  less 
ridiculous. 

"  There  is  a  country  four  or  five  thousand  miles 
westward  of  Tunis,  where  the  females,  to  a  very 
great  extent,  are  emaciated  for  marriage,  instead  of 
being  fattened.  This  process  is  begun,  in  part, 
by  shackles — not  of  gold  and  silver,  perhaps,  but 
of  wood — but  instead  of  being  put  on  loosely,  and 
causing  the  body  or  limbs  to  fill  them,  they  are 
made  to  compress  the  body  in  the  outset ;  and  as 
the  size  of  the  latter  diminishes,  the  shackles  are 
contracted  or  tightened.  As  with  the  eastern,  so 
with  the  western  females,  many  of  them  die  under 
the  process ;  though  a  far  greater  number  die  at  a 
remote  period,  as  the  consequence  of  it." 

Sec.  3.  Material. 

I  have  already  committed  myself  to  the  reader 
as  favoring  the  use  of  soft  flannel  in  cold  weather, 
especially  for  children  who  are  not  yet  able  to  run 
about  freely  in  the  oipen  air.  The  advantages  of 
an  early  use  of  this  material,  at  least  for  under- 
clothes, are  numerous.  The  following  are  a  few 
of  them  : 

.  / 


62 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Reasons  for  the  use  of  flannel.  Cleanliness. 

1.  Flannel,  next  to  the  skin,  is  a  pleasant  flesh 
brush ;  keeping  up  a  gentle  and  equable  irritation, 
and  promoting  perspiration,  and  every  other  func- 
tion which  it  is  the  office  of  the  skin  to  perform, 
or  assist  in  performing. 

2.  It  guards  the  body  against  the  cooling  effects 
of  evaporation,  when  in  a  state  of  profuse  perspi- 
ration. 

3.  By  preventing  the  heat  of  the  body  from 
escaping  too  rapidly,  it  keeps  up  a  steadier  tem- 
perature on  the  surface  than  any  other  known 
substance.  The  importance  of  the  last  considera- 
tion is  greater,  in  a  climate  like  our  own,  than 
elsewhere. 

But  there  are  limits  to  the  use  of  this  article  of 
clothing.  Whenever  the  temperature  of  the  at- 
mosphere is  so  great,  even  without  artificial  heat, 
that  we  no  longer  wish  to  retain  the  heat  of  the 
body  by  the  clothing,  then  all  flannel  should  be 
removed  at  once,  and  linen  should  be  substituted  ; 
taking  care  to  replace  the  flannel  whenever  the 
temperature  of  the  atmosphere,  as  indicated  by  the 
thermometer,  or  by  the  child's  feelings,  may  seem 
to  require  it. 

It  should  also  be  kept  clean.  There  is  a  very 
general  mistake  abroad  on  this  subject.  Many 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


63 


Caution  in  regard  to  flannel.  When  to  be  omitted. 

suppose  that  flannel  can  be  worn  longer  without 
washing  than  other  kinds  of  cloth.  JJn  the  con- 
trary,  it  should  be  changed  oftener  than  cotton,  or 
even  linen,  because  it  will  absorb  a  great  deal  of 
fluid,  especially  the  matter  of  perspiration,  which, 
if  long  retained,  is  believed  to  ferment,  and  pro- 
duce unhealthy,  if  not  poisonous  gases.  For  this 
reason,  too,  flannel  for  children's  clothing  should 
be  white,  that  it  may  show  dirt  the  more  readily, 
and  obtain  the  more  frequent  washing  ;  although 
it  is  for  this  very  reason — its  liability  to  exhibit 
the  least  particles  of  dirt — that  it  is  commonly 
rejected. 

One  caution  more  in  regard  to  the  use  of  flannel 
may  be  necessary.  With  some  children,  owing 
to  a  peculiarity  of  constitution,  flannel  will  produce 
eruptions  on  the  skin,  which  are  very  troublesome. 
Whenever  this  is  the  case,  the  flannel  should  be 
immediately  laid  aside  ;  upon  which  the  eruptions 
usually  disappear. 

If  parents  would  take  proper  pains  to  get  the 
lighter,  softer  kinds  of  flannel  for  this  purpose,  and 
be  particular  about  its  looseness  and  quantity,  I 
should  prefer,  as  I  have  already  intimated,  to  have 
very  young  children,  in  our  climate,  wear  this 
material  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  excepting 
perhaps  July  and  August. 


64 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


A  caution  to  parents.  Sudden  changes. 

My  reasons  for  this  course  would  be,  first,  that 
I  like  the  stimulus  of  soft  flannel  on  the  skin,  if 
changed  sufficiently  often,  better  than  that  of  any 
other  kind  of  clothing.  Secondly,  cotton  is  so  liable 
to  take  fire,  that  its  use  in  the  nursery  and  among 
little  children  seems  very  hazardous.  Thirdly, 
silk  is  not  quite  the  appropriate  material,  as  a 
general  thing,  besides  being  too  expensive ;  and 
fourthly,  linen  is  not  warm  enough,  except  in  mid- 
summer. 

Except,  therefore,  in  July  and  August,  and  in 
cases  of  idiosyncrasy,  such  as  have  just  been  al- 
luded to,  I  would  use  flannel  for  the  under-clothes 
of  young  children,  throughout  the  year.  But 
whenever  they  acquire  sufficient  strength  to  walk 
and  run,  and  play  much  in  the  open  air,  I  would 
gradually  lay  aside  the  use  of  all  flannel,  even  in 
winter.  Great  attention,  however,  must  be  paid 
to  the  quantity.  The  parent  who,  guided  by  this 
rule,  should  keep  on  her  child  the  same  amount 
of  flannel,  and  of  the  same  thickness,  from  Janu- 
ary to  June  30th,  and  then,  on  the  first  of  July, 
should  suddenly  exchange  it  for  thin  linen,  in  mod- 
erate quantity,  might  find  trouble  from  it.  It  is 
better  to  make  the  changes  more  gradually ;  other- 
wise, whatever  may  be  the  material  of  the  dress, 
the  child  will  be  likely  to  suffer. 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


65 


Power  of  habit.       How  much  clothing  do  we  really  need  1 


Sec.  4.  Quantity. 

The  quantity  of  clothing  used  by  different  indi- 
viduals of  the  same  age,  in  the  same  climate,  pos- 
sessing constitutions  nearly  alike,  and  following 
similar  occupations,  is  so  different  as  to  strike  us 
with  surprise  when  we  first  observe  the  fact. 

One  will  wear  nothing  but  a  coarse  linen  or 
cotton  shirt,  coarse  coat,  waistcoat,  and  pantaloons, 
and  boots,  in  the  coldest  weather.  He  never,  unless 
it  be  on  the  Sabbath,  puts  on  even  a  cravat,  and 
never  in  any  case  stockings  or  mittens. 

Another,  in  similar  circumstances  in  all  respects, 
constantly  wears  his  thick  stockings,  flannel  wrap- 
per and  drawers,  and  cravat ;  and  seldom  goes  out 
in  cold  weather,  without  mittens  and  an  overcoat. 
He  is  not  a  whit  w  armer ;  indeed  he  often  suffers 
more  from  ihe  cold  than  his  neighbor  who  dresses 
in  the  manner  just  described. 

Why  all  this  difference?  It  is  no  doubt  the  result 
of  habit.  Any  individual  may  accustom  himself 
to  much  or  little  clothing.  And  the  earlier  the 
habit  is  begun,  the  greater  is  its  influence. 

Some  persons,  observing  how  little  clothing  one 
may  accustom  himself  to  use  and  yet  be  comfort- 
able, have  told  us,  that  so  far  as  mere  temperature 
is  concerned,  we  need  no  clothing  at  all.  They 
5 


66 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Clothing  of  other  animals.  An  inference. 

relate  the  story  of  the  Scythian  and  Alexander. 
Alexander  asked  the  former  how  he  could  go  with- 
out clothes  in  such  a  cold  climate.  He  replied,  by- 
asking  Alexander  how  he  could  go  with  his  face 
naked.  "  Habit  reconciles  us  to  this;"  was  the 
reply.  "  Think  me,  then,  all  face,"  said  the 
Scythian. 

But  admitting  that  certain  individuals,  and  even 
a  few  rude  tribes,  have  gone  without  clothing ;  did 
they  therefore  follow,  in  this  respect,  the  inten- 
tions of  nature  ?  The  greatest  stickler  for  adher- 
ing to  nature's  plan,  cannot  prove  this.  Analogy 
is  against  it.  Most  of  the  other  animals,  even  in 
hot  climates,  are  furnished  with  a  hairy  covering 
from  the  first ;  and  in  cold  climates,  the  Author  of 
their  being  has  even  provided  them  with  an  in- 
crease of  clothing  for  the  winter.  Their  fur,  on 
the  approach  of  cold  weather,  not  only  becomes 
whiter,  and  therefore  conducts  the  heat  away  from 
the  body  more  slowly,  but,  as  every  dealer  in  furs 
well  understands,  it  becomes  softer  and  thicker. 
And  yet  the  blood  of  the  furred  animals  of  cold 
countries  is  as  warm  as  ours,  if  not  warmer. 

The  inferences  which  it  seems  to  me  we  ought 
to  make  from  this  are,  that  if  other  animals  require 
clothing,  and  even  a  change  of  clothing,  so  does 
man  ;  and  that  as  the  Creator  has  left  him  to 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


67 


Some  clothing  indispensable.  The  general  rule. 

provide,  by  his  own  ingenuity,  for  a  great  many  of 
his  wants,  instead  of  furnishing  him  with  instinct 
to  direct  him,  so  in  relation  to  dress.  And  even 
if  it  could  be  proved  that  dress  were  naturally  un- 
necessary, with  reference  to  temperature,  I  should 
still  defend  its  use  on  other  principles.  The  few 
speculative  minds,  therefore,  that  in  the  vagaries 
of  their  fancy,  but  never  in  their  practice,  reject  it, 
are  not  to  be  regarded. 

The  great  principle  laid  down  in  the  commence- 
ment of  the  chapter  on  Temperature,  is  the  great 
principle  which  should  guide  us  in  regard  to  dress. 
But  although  we  should  always  keep  a  little  too 
cool  rather  than  a  little  too  warm,  it  is  by  no 
means  desirable  to  be  cold.  Any  degree  of  chilli- 
ness, long  continued,  interrupts  the  functions  which 
the  skin  ought  to  perform,  and  thus  produces  mis- 
chief. 

The  same  rules,  in  this  respect,  apply  to  eating, 
as  well  as  to  dress.  It  is  better  to  eat  a  little  less 
than  nature  requires,  than  a  little  more.  It  is  a 
generally  received  opinion,  however,  that  mankind 
frequently,  at  least  in  this  country,  eat  about  twice 
as  much  as  health  requires.  This  is  owing  to 
habit ;  and  perhaps  the  power  of  the  latter  is  as 
great  in  this  respect  as  in  regard  to  dress. 


68 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Beg-in  right.       Too  much  clothing".       Make  proper  changes. 

The  great  point  in  regard  to  food  or  dress  is,  to 
begin  right,  and,  observing  what  nature  requires— 
studying  at  the  same  time  the  testimony  of  others 
—endeavor  to  keep  within  the  bounds  she  has 
assigned.  It  has  already  been  more  than  intimated, 
that  if  the  nursery  be  kept  in  a  proper  tempera- 
ture, a  single  loose  piece  of  dress  is,  for  some  time, 
all  that  is  required.  In  pursuance  of  this  princi- 
ple, through  life,  I  believe  few  persons  would  be 
found  who  would  need  more  at  one  time  than  a 
single  suit  of  woollen  clothes,  even  in  the  severest 
winters  of  our  northern  climate. 

I  have  always  observed  that  they  who  wear  the 
greatest  amount  of  clothing,  are  most  subject  to 
colds.  There  are  obvious  reasons  why  it  should 
be  so.  This,  then,  if  a  fact,  is  one  of  the  strong- 
est reasons  in  favor  of  acquiring  a  habit  of  going 
as  thinly  clad  as  we  possibly  can,  and  not  at  the 
same  time  feel  any  inconvenience. 

But  after  all,  whether  it  be  winter  or  summer, 
we  must  vary  our  clothing  with  the  variations  of 
the  weather,  as  indicated  by  the  thermometer, 
and  our  own  feelings.  Sometimes,  in  our  ever 
changing  and  ever  changeable  climate,  it  may  be 
necessary  to  vary  our  dress  three  or  four  times 
a  day.  Some  cry  out  against  this  practice  as 
dangerous,  but  I  have  never  found  it  so.    I  have 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


69 


Why  caps  are  injurious.  Diseases  they  may  produce. 

known  persons  who  made  it  a  constant  practice  ; 
and  I  never  found  that  they  sustained  any  injury 
from  it,  except  the  loss  of  a  little  time ;  and  the 
increase  of  comfort  was  more  than  enough  to 
compensate  for  that.  There  is  one  thing  to  be 
avoided,  however,  whether  we  change  our  cloth- 
ing— our  linen,  especially — twice  a  day,  or  only 
twice  a  week — which  is  dampness. 

Sec.  5.  Caps. 

The  practice  of  putting  caps  on  infants  is  hap* 
pily  going  by  ;  and  perhaps  it  may  be  thought 
unnecessary  for  me  to  dwell  a  single  moment  on 
the  subject.  But  as  the  practice  still  prevails  in 
some  parts  of  the  country,  it  may  be  well  to  be- 
stow upon  it  a  few  passing  remarks. 

Many  mothers  have  not  considered  that  the  cir- 
culation of  the  blood  in  young  infants  is  peculiarly 
active ;  that  a  large  amount  of  blood  is  at  that 
period  carried  to  the  head  ;  that  in  consequence 
of  this,  the  head  is  proportionably  hotter  than  in 
adults ;  and  that  from  this  source  arises  the  ten- 
dency of  very  young  children  to  brain  fever,  dropsy 
in  the  head,  and  other  diseases  of  this  part  of  the 
system.    But  these  are  most  undoubted  facts. 


70 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Nature's  covering.       Why  the  best.       Ugliness  of  caps. 

Hence  one  reason  why  the  heads  of  infants 
should  be  kept  as  cool  as  possible  ;  and  though  a 
thin  cap  confines  less  heat  than  a  thick  head  of 
hair  does  when  they  are  older,  yet  they  are  less 
able  to  bear  it.  The  truth  is  that  nature  furnishes 
a  covering  for  the  head,  just  about  as  fast  as  a 
covering  is  required,  and  the  child's  safety  will 
permit. 

At  the  present  day,  few  persons  will  probably 
be  found,  who  will  defend  the  utility  of  caps,  any 
longer  than  till  the  hair  is  grown.  The  general 
apology  for  their  use  after  this  period,  and  indeed 
in  most  instances  before,  is,  that  they  look  pretty. 
"  What  would  people  say  to  see  my  darling  with- 
out a  cap  ?" 

But  when  the  head  is  kept,  from  the  first,  to- 
tally uncovered,  the  hair  grows  more  rapidly,  dan- 
druff and  other  scurfy  diseases  rarely  attack  the 
scalp :  catarrh,  snuffles,  and  other  similar  com- 
plaints, and  above  all,  dropsy  in  the  head,  seldom 
show  themselves  ;  and  the  period  of  cutting  teeth, 
that  most  dangerous  period  in  the  life  of  an  infant, 
is  passed  over  with  much  more  safety. 

"  Nothing  but  custom,"  says  a  foreign  writer, 
"  can  reconcile  us  to  the  cap,  with  all  its  lace  and 
trumpery  ornaments,  on  the  beautiful  head  of  a 


THE  CHILD'S  DRESS. 


71 


A  common  mistake.        Growth  of  the  bones  endangered. 

child ;  and  I  would  ask  any  one  to  say  candidly, 
whether  he  thinks  the  children  in  the  pictures 
of  Titian  and  Raffaelle  would  be  improved  by 
having  their  heads  covered  with  caps,  instead  of 
the  silken  curls — the  adornment  of  nature — which 
cluster  round  their  smiling  faces.  If  there  were 
do  other  reason  for  disusing  caps  for  infants,  but 
the  improvement  which  it  produces  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  child,  I  would  maintain  that  this  is  a 
sufficient  inducement."  And  I  concur  with  him 
fully. 

As  to  the  notion — now  I  hope  nearly  exploded 
— that  it  is  necessary  to  cover  up  the  "  open  of 
the  head,"  as  it  is  called,  nothing  can  be  more 
idle.  This  part  of  the  head  requires  no  more 
covering  than  any  other  part ;  and  if  it  did,  all  the 
dress  in  the  world  could  not  affect  it  in  the  least, 
except  to  retard  the  growth  of  the  bones,  which, 
in  due  time,  ought  to  close  up  the  space ;  and  this 
effect,  anything  which  keeps  the  head  too  hot 
might  help  to  produce.  On  the  folly  of  wetting 
the  head  with  spirits,  or  any  other  medicated 
lotions,  and  of  making  daily  efforts  to  bring  it  into 
shape,  it  is  unnecessary  to  speak  in  the  present 
chapter. 


72 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


The  head  dress  usually  too  warm.  Reasons  why. 


Sec.  6.    Hats  and  Bonnets. 

The  hats  worn  in  this  country  are  almost  uni- 
versally too  warm.  But  if  it  is  a  great  mistake  in 
adults  to  wear  thick,  heavy  hats,  it  is  much  more 
so  in  the  case  of  children. 

The  infant  in  the  nursery,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  needs  no  covering  of  the  kind.  It  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  that  the  head  should  be  kept 
as  cool  as  possible  ;  and  absolutely  dangerous  to 
cover  it  too  warmly.  At  a  later  period,  however, 
the  danger  greatly  diminishes,  because  the  circula- 
tion of  the  blood  becomes  more  equal,  and  does 
not  tend  so  much  towards  the  brain. 

Still,  however,  the  head  is  hotter  than  the  limbs, 
especially  the  hands  and  feet ;  and  I  cannot  help 
thinking  that  the  hair  is  the  only  covering  which 
is  perfectly  safe,  either  in  childhood  or  age ;  ex- 
cept in  the  sunshine  or  in  the  storm.  There  may 
be — there  probably  is — some  danger  in  going  with- 
out hat  or  bonnet  in  the  hot  sun ;  though  I  have 
known  many  children,  and  some  grown  persons, 
who  were  constantly  exposed  in  this  way,  and  yet 
appeared  not  to  suffer  from  it. 

But  this  may  be  the  proper  place  to  state  that 
we  are  ever  in  great  danger  of  deceiving  ourselves 
on  this  subject.    If  the  individuals  who  follow 


THE  CHILD'S  DHESS. 


73 


May  we  go  with  the  head  wholly  uncovered  1  Why  not. 

practices  usually  regarded  as  pernicious,  while  their 
habits  in  other  respects  are  just  like  those  of  other 
persons  around  them  who  have  similar  strength, 
&c.  of  constitution, — if  these  individuals,  I  say, 
were  wholly  to  escape  disease,  through  life,  or  if 
they  were  to  be  so  much  more  free  from  it,  and 
live  to  an  age  so  much  greater  than  others,  as  to 
constitute  a  striking  and  obvious  difference  in  their 
favor,  we  might  then  safely  argue  that  the  prac- 
tices which  they  follow  are  at  least  without  dan- 
gers, if  not  of  obvious  advantage.  But  when  we 
see  them  beset  with  ills,  like  other  people,  it  is 
not  safe  to  pronounce  their  habits  favorable  to 
health,  since  it  is  impossible  to  know  whether 
some  of  the  ills  which  they  suffer  are  not  produced 
by  them. 

These  remarks  are  applicable  to  the  disuse  of 
any  covering  for  the  head  in  the  sun  and  in 
the  rain.  For  you  will  find  those  who  adopt 
this  practice  from  early  in  fancy  ,#  subject  to  as 
many  diseases  as  those  around  them  with  similar 


*  I  say  from  early  infancy  ;  because  we  may  adopt  the 
best  habits  in  mature  years,  after  our  constitutions  have 
been  broken  up  by  error  and  vice,  without  effecting  any- 
thing more  than  to  keep  us  from  actually  sinking  at  once. 
Indeed,  in  most  cases,  we  ought  not  to  expect  more. 


74 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Light  hats  and  bonnets  commended.       Thick  wool  hats  unsafe. 

constitutions,  but .  with  habits  somewhat  different ; 
and  as  our  diseases  are  generally  the  consequences 
of  our  errors  in  one  way  or  another,  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  say  with  certainty  that  some  of  them  might 
not  have  arisen  from  exposure  of  the  head. 

I  should  not  hesitate,  therefore,  to  advise  all 
mothers  to  put  a  light  hat  or  bonnet  on  the  heads 
of  their  children,  whenever  they  are  to  be  exposed 
to  the  direct  rays  of  the  summer  sun,  or  to  the 
rain.  And  as  we  cannot  always  foresee  when 
and  where  these  exposures  will  arise,  and  as  it  is 
believed  that  these  coverings,  if  light,  will  never 
be  productive  of  much  injury  while  we  are  abroad 
in  the  open  air,  it  will  follow  that  it  is  better  to 
wear  than  to  omit  them. 

But  while  I  contend  for  their  use  as  consistent 
with  health  and  sound  philosophy,  I  must  not  be 
understood  as  admitting  the  use  of  such  hats  as 
are  worn  at  present,  even  by  children.  They  are, 
as  I  have  said  before,  too  hot.  What  should  be 
substituted,  I  am  unable  to  determine  ;  but  until 
something  can  be  supplied,  which  w  ould  not  be  half 
so  oppressive  as  our  common  wool  hats,  I  should 
regard  it  as  the  lesser  evil  to  omit  them  entirely. 
The  danger  of  going  bare-headed,  if  the  practice 
is  commenced  early,  we  know  from  the  customs 
of  some  savage  nations,  can  never  be  very  great. 


THE  CHILD'S  DRESS. 


75 


Keep  the  feet  warm.  Stockings  useful. 


Sec.  7.    Covering  for  the  Feet. 

The  same  reason  for  avoiding  the  use  of  any 
covering  for  the  head,  in  early  infancy,  is  a  suffi- 
cient reason  for  covering  the  feet  well.  For  just 
in  proportion  as  the  blood  is  sent  to  the  head  in 
superabundance,  and  keeps  up  in  it  an  undue  de- 
gree of  heat,  just  in  the  same  proportion  is  it  sent 
to  the  feet  in  too  small  a  quantity,  leaving  these 
parts  liable  to  cold.  Now  it  is  a  fundamental  law 
with  medical  men,  that  the  feet  ought  to  be  kept 
warmer  than  the  head,  if  possible ;  especially 
while  the  child  is  very  young,  and  exposed  to 
brain  diseases. 

So  long,  therefore,  as  children  are  young,  and 
unable  to  exercise  their  feet,  stockings  ought  to  be 
used,  both  in  summer  and  winter ;  but  I  prefer  to 
have  them  short,  unless  long  ones  can  be  used 
without  garters.  Everything  in  the  shape  of  a 
garter  or  ligature  round  the  limbs,  body,  or  neck 
of  a  child,  except  a  single  body  band,  already 
mentioned  in  another  chapter,  ought  forever  to  be 
banished. 

It  has  often  been  objected,  I  know,  that  stock- 
ings will  make  the  feet  tender.  But  as  no  child 
was  ever  hardened  by  continued  and  severe  cold 
applied  to  any  part  of  the  body,  but  the  contrary, 


76 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Objections  to  shoes  considered.       How  they  should  be  made. 

so  no  one  was  ever  made  more  tender  by  being 
kept  moderately  warm.  Excess  of  heat,  like  ex- 
cess of  cold,  will  alike  weaken  either  children  or 
adults  ;  but  there  is  little  danger  of  heating  the 
feet  and  legs  of  infants  too  much  during  the  first 
year  of  infancy. 

It  is  also  said  that  stockings  are  apt  to  receive 
and  retain  wet.  But  as  I  shall  show  in  another 
place  that  wet  clothes  should  be  frequently 
changed,  this  objection  would  be  equally  strong 
against  wearing  coats  and  diapers. 

As  to  shoes,  there  is  some  variety  of  opinion 
among  medical  men.  A  few  hold  that  they  cramp 
the  feet,  and  prevent  children  from  learning  to 
walk  as  early  as  they  otherwise  would. 

If  it  were  best  for  children  that  they  should 
learn  to  walk  as  early  as  possible,  the  last  objec- 
tion might  have  weight.  But  it  seems  to  me  not 
at  all  desirable  to  be  in  haste  about  their  walking. 
Indeed,  I  greatly  prefer  to  retard  their  progress,  in 
this  respect,  rather  than  to  hasten  it. 

As  to  the  first  objection,  that  shoes  cramp  the 
feet  too  much,  nearly  its  whole  force  turns  upon 
the  question  whether  they  are  made  of  proper 
materials  or  not.  There  is  no  need  of  making  them 
of  cow-hide,  or  any  other  thick  leather.  The  soles 
are  the  most  important  part.    These  will  defend 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


77 


Locke's  opinion  about  shoes.  Danger  of  using  pins. 

the  feet  against  pins,  needles,  and  such  other  sharp 
substances  as  are  usually  found  on  the  floor ;  and 
the  upper  part  of  the  shoe,  so  long  as  the  wearer 
remains  in  the  nursery,  may  be  made  of  the  softest 
and  most  yielding  material,  even  of  cloth.  In- 
fants' shoes  should  always  be  made  on  two  lasts, 
one  for  each  foot. 

The  philosopher  Locke  held,  that  in  order  to 
harden  the  young,  their  shoes  ought  to  be  "  so 
that  they  might  leak  and  let  in  water,  whenever 
they  came  near  it."  There  may  be,  and  probably 
is,  no  harm  in  having  a  child  wet  his  feet  occasion- 
ally, provided  he  is  soon  supplied  with  dry  stock- 
ings acrain  :  but  it  is  hazardous  for  either  children 
or  adults  to  go  too  long  in  wet  stockings,  and 
especially  to  sit  long  in  them,  after  they  have  been 
using  much  active  exercise.  I  am  in  favor  of 
good,  substantial  shoes  and  stockings  for  people  of 
all  ages  and  conditions,  and  at  all  seasons ;  and 
believe  it  entirely  in  accordance  with  sound  econ- 
omy and  the  laws  of  the  human  constitution. 

Sec.  8.  Pins. 

The  custom  of  using  ten  or  a  dozen  pins  in  the 
dressing  of  children,  ought  by  all  means  to  be  set 
aside.    They  not  only  often  wound  the  skin,  but 


78 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Substitute  for  pins.  Practice  of  a  physician. 

they  have  occasionally  been  known  to  penetrate 
the  body  and  the  joints  of  the  limbs.  So  many  of 
these  dreadful  accidents  occur,  and  where  no  acci- 
dent happens,  so  much  pain  is  occasionally  given 
by  their  sharp  points  to  the  little  sufferer,  who 
cannot  tell  what  the  matter  is,  that  it  is  quite  time 
the  practice  were  abolished. 

Do  you  ask  what  can  be  substituted  ? — The 
following  mode  is  adopted  by  Dr.  Dewees  in  his 
own  family,  as  mentioned  in  his  work  on  the 
"  Physical  and  Medical  Treatment  of  Children," 
at  page  86. 

"  The  belly  band  and  the  petticoat  have  strings; 
and  not  a  single  pin  is  used  in  their  adjustment. 
The  little  shirt,  which  is  always  made  much  larger 
than  the  infant's  body,  is  folded  on  the  back  and 
bosom,  and  these  folds  kept  in  their  places  by  pro- 
perly adjusting  the  body  of  the  petticoat :  so  far 
not  a  pin  is  used.  The  diaper  requires  one,  but 
this  should  be  of  a  large  size,  and  made  to  serve 
the  double  purposes  of  holding  the  folds  of  this 
article,  as  well  as  keeping  the  belly  band  in  its 
proper  place  :  the  latter  having  a  small  tag  of 
double  linen  depending  from  its  lower  margin,  by 
which  it  is  secured  to  the  diaper,  by  the  same  pin. 

"  Should  an  extraordinary  display  of  best  1  bib 
and  tucker '  be  required  upon  any  special  occa- 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


79 


Shocking  anecdote  on  needles  and  pins.  Reflections. 

sion,  a  third  pin  may  be  admitted  to  ensure  the 
well  sitting  of  the  6  frock'  waist  in  front ; — this  last 
pin,  however,  is  applied  externally  ;  so  that  the 
risk  of  its  getting  into  the  child's  body  is  very 
small,  even  if  it  should  become  displaced." 

The  writer  from  whom  the  two  last  paragraphs 
are  taken,  says  he  has  seen  needles  substituted  for 
pins  ;  and  relates  a  long  story  of  a  child  whose  life 
was  well  nigh  destroyed  in  this  manner.  It  under- 
went months  of  ill  health,  and  many  moments  of 
excruciating  agony,  before  the  cause  of  its  trouble 
was  suspected.  Sometimes  its  distress  was  so 
great  that  nothing  but  large  doses  of  laudanum, 
sufficient  to  stupify  it,  could  afford  the  least 
relief.  At  last  a  tumor  was  discovered  by  the 
attending  physician,  near  one  of  the  bones  on 
which  we  sit,  and  a  needle  was  extracted  two 
inches  long.  The  needle  had  been  put  in  its 
clothes,  and  by  slipping  into  the  folds  of  the  skin, 
had  insinuated  itself,  unperceived,  into  the  child's 
body.  It  is  pleasing  to  add,  that,  although  the 
little  sufferer  had  now  been  ill  seven  or  eight 
months,  and  had  endured  almost  everything  but 
death, — fever,  diarrhoea,  and  the  most  excruciating 
pain, — it  soon  recovered. 

This  shocking  circumstance  is  enough,  one 
would  think,  to  deter  every  mother  or  nurse,  who 


80 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


A  common  but  strange  error.  Its  dangers. 

becomes  acquainted  with  it,  from  using  needles  in 
infants'  clothes.  Happy  would  it  be,  if  in  banish- 
ing needles,  they  would  contrive  to  banish  pins 
also,  and  adopt  either  the  plan  of  Dr.  Dewees,  or 
one  still  more  rational. 

Sec.  9.    Remaining  Wet. 

On  the  subject  of  changing  the  wet  clothing  of 
a  child,  there  is  a  strange  and  monstrous  error 
abroad  ;  which  is,  that  by  suffering  them  to  remain 
wet  and  cold,  we  harden  the  constitution.  The 
filthiness  of  this  practice  is  enough  to  condemn  it, 
were  there  nothing  else  to  be  said  against  it. 

It  is  insisted  by  many,  I  know,  that  as  water  which 
is  salt,  when  it  is  applied  to  the  skin,  and  suffered 
to  remain  long,  while  it  secures  the  point  of  hard- 
ening the  child,  prevents  all  possibility  of  its  taking 
cold,  it  hence  follows,  that  wet  diapers  are  not 
injurious  !  But  this  is  a  mistake.  Every  time  an 
infant  is  allowed  to  remain  wet,  we  not  only  endan- 
ger its  taking  cold,  but  expose  it  to  excoriations  of 
the  skin,  if  not  to  serious  and  dangerous  inflamma- 
tion. In  short,  if  frequent  changes  are  not  made, 
whatever  some  mothers  and  nurses  may  think,  they 
may  rest  assured,  that  the  health  of  the  child  must 
sooner  or  later  suffer  as  the  consequence. 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


81 


Dress  of  boys.  Tight  jackets  always  injurious. 

Nor  is  it  enough  to  hang  up  a  diaper  by  the  fire, 
and,  as  soon  as  it  is  dry,  apply  it  again.  It  should 
be  clean,  as  well  as  dry.  Let  us  not  be  told  that 
it  is  troublesome  to  wash  so  often.  Everything  is 
in  a  certain  sense  troublesome.  Everything  in 
this  world,  wdiich  is  worth  having,  is  the  result 
of  toil.  Nothing  but  absolute  poverty  affords  the 
shadow  of  an  excuse  for  neglecting  anything  which 
will  promote  the  health,  or  even  the  comfort,  of 
the  tender  infant. 

Of  the  impropriety  and  danger  of  suffering  wet 
clothes  to  dry  upon  us,  I  shall  speak  elsewhere  ; 
as  well  as  of  the  evil  of  suffering  children  to  remain 
dirty, — their  skins  or  their  clothing. 

Sec.  10.    Remarks  on  the  Dress  of  Boys. 

Whatever  tends  to  disturb  the  growth  of  the 
body,  or  hinder  the  free  exercise  of  the  limbs, 
during  the  infancy  and  childhood  of  both  sexes,  is 
injurious.  And  as  every  mother  has  the  control 
of  these  things,  I  have  thought  it  desirable  to  ap- 
pend to  this  chapter  a  few  thoughts  on  the  particu- 
lar dress  of  each  sex.    I  begin  with  that  of  boys. 

"Nothing  can  be  more  injurious  to  health,"  says 
a  foreign  writer,  "  than  the  tight  jacket,  buttoned 
6 


82 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Thick  cravats  and  stocks.  Why  they  are  injurious. 

up  to  the  throat,  the  well-fitted  boots,  and  the  stiff 
stock."  And  his  remarks  are  nearly  as  applicable 
to  this  country  as  to  England.  The  consequences 
of  this  preposterous  method  of  dressing  boys  are, 
diminutive  manhood,  deformity  of  person,  and  a 
constitution  either  already  imbued  with  disease,  or 
highly  susceptible  of  its  impression. 

No  part  of  the  modern  dress  of  boys  is  more 
absurd  than  the  stiff  stock,  or  thick  cravat.  It  is 
not  only  injurious  by  pressing  on  the  jugular  veins, 
and  preventing  the  blood  from  freely  passing  out 
of  the  head,  but,  by  constantly  pressing  on  the 
numerous  and  complex  muscles  of  the  neck,  at 
this  period  of  life,  it  prevents  their  development; 
because  whatever  hinders  the  action  of  the  muscular 
parts,  hinders  their  growth,  and  makes  them  even 
appear  as  if  wasted. 

It  would  be  a  great  improvement,  if  this  part  of 
dress  were  wholly  discarded ;  and  when  is  there  so 
appropriate  a  time  for  setting  it  aside  as  before  wt 
begin  to  use  it ;  or  rather  while  we  are  under  the 
more  immediate  care  of  our  mothers  ? 

The  use  of  jackets  buttoned  up  to  the  throat, 
except  in  cold  weather,  is  objectionable ;  but  this 
is  very  fortunately  going  out  of  fashion. 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


83 


Consequences  of  wearing  tight  boots.  A  painful  picture. 

Boots,  if  used  at  all,  should  fit  well.  To  this 
there  can  be  no  possible  objection.  What  the 
writer  whom  I  have  quoted  referred  to,  was  prob- 
ably the  tight  boot,  worn  to  prevent  the  foot  from 
being  large  and  unseemly ;  but  producing,  as  tight 
boots  inevitably  do,  an  injurious  effect  upon  the 
muscles,  a  constrained  walk,  and  corns. 

What  can  be  more  painful  than  to  see  little 
boys, — yes,  little  boys — boys  neither  fifteen,  nor 
twenty,  nor  twenty-five, — walk  as  if  they  were 
fettered,  and  trussed  up  for  the  spit ;  unable  to 
look  down,  or  turn  their  heads,  on  account  of  a 
thick  stock,  or  two  or  three  cravats  piled  on  the 
top  of  each  other,  and  only  capable  of  using  their 
arms  to  dangle  a  cane,  or  carry  an  umbrella,  as 
they  hobble  along,  perhaps  on  a  hot  sun-shiny  day 
in  July  or  August  ? 

But  this  evil,  ye  who  are  mothers  have  it  very 
generally  in  your  power  to  prevent,  if  you  are 
only  wise  enough  to  secure  that  ascendancy  over 
your  children's  minds  which  the  Author  of  their 
nature  designed.  At  the  least,  you  can  prevent  it 
for  a  time — the  most  important  period,  too — by 
your  own  authority.  This  you  will  not  need  any 
urging  to  induce  you  to  do,  if  you  ever  become 
thoroughly  convinced  of  its  pre-eminent  folly. 


84 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Dress  of  girls.       Should  be  loose.       Health  often  exposed. 


Sec.  11.    On  the  Dress  of  Girls. 

The  same  general  principles  which  should  guide 
the  young  mother  in  regard  to  the  dress  of  boys, 
are  equally  important  and  applicable  in  the  man- 
agement of  girls.  The  whole  dress  should,  as 
much  as  possible,  hang  loosely  from  the  shoulders, 
without  pressing  on  the  body,  or  any  part  of  it. 
This,  I  say,  is  the  grand  point  to  be  aimed  at ; 
and  this  is  the  only  great  principle,  whatever  some 
mothers  may  think,  which  will  lead  to  true  beauty 
of  person,  and  gracefulness  of  gesture. 

There  is,  however,  a  slight  difference  to  be 
made  between  the  dress  of  girls  and  that  of  boys. 
The  greater  delicacy  of  the  female  frame  requires 
that  the  surface  of  the  body  should  be  kept  rather 
warmer,  as  well  as  better  protected  from  the  vicis- 
situdes of  the  atmosphere. 

But  is  this  the  fact?  Is  not  the  contrary  true? 
While  boys  in  the  winter  are  clad  in  warm  wroollen 
vestments,  covering  every  part  of  their  trunk, 
many  portions  of  the  female  frame,  and  especially 
many  parts  of  their  limbs,  are  left  so  much  ex- 
posed, that  in  cold  weather,  you  hardly  find  a  girl 
abroad  who  appears  to  be  comfortable. 

Nay,  they  are  not  only  uncomfortable  abroad, 
but  at  home ;  and  if  I  were  to  present  to  mothers 


THE   CHILD'S  DRESS. 


85 


Females  not  allowed  to  run.  Confining  the  lungs. 

in  detail,  a  tenth  of  the  evils  which  their  daugh- 
ters suffer,  from  not  adopting  a  warmer  method  of 
clothing,  I  should  probably  be  stared  at  by  some, 
and  laughed  at  by  others.  And  this,  too,  without 
speaking  of  going  out  of  warm  concert  rooms, 
theatres,  ball  rooms  and  lecture  rooms,  into  the 
night  air,  or  out  of  school  rooms  and  churches,  to 
wralk  home  with  measured  and  stiffened  pace,  lest 
the  sin  unpardonable  of  walking  swiftly  or  run- 
ning— that  active  exercise  which  health  requires, 
which  youthful  feeling  prompts,  and  which  duty 
ought  to  inspire — should  unwarily  be  committed. 

The  tremendous  evils  of  confining  the  lungs 
have  been  adverted  to  at  sufficient  length.  In 
reference  to  that  general  subject,  I  need  only  add, 
that  if  the  chest  be  not  duly  exercised  and  ex- 
panded, the  liver,  the  lungs,  the  stomach,  digestion, 
absorption,  circulation  and  perspiration,  are  all  hin- 
dered. And  even  so  far  as  the  various  internal 
organs  of  the  body  are  active,  they  work  at  a  great 
disadvantage.  The  blood  which  they  66  work  up," 
is  bad  blood,  and  must  be  so,  as  long  as  the  lungs 
do  not  have  free  play.  Hence  may  and  do  arise 
all  sorts  of  diseases,  especially  diseases  of  obstruc- 
tion, and  such  as  are  often  very  difficult  of  re- 
moval. 


86 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


A  pitiable  sight.  Appeal  to  mothers. 

What  can  be  a  more  pitiable  sight  than  one  of  our 
modern  girls  going  home  from  school  or  church  in 
winter.  Thinly  clad,  the  blood  is  all  driven  from 
the  surface  upon  the  internal  organs,  and  what 
remains  is  so  loaded  with  carbon,  which  the  lungs 
ought  but  cannot  discharge,  that  her  skin  has  a 
leaden  hue  ;  her  teeth  chatter ;  her  very  heart  is 
chilled  in  her  panting,  frozen  bosom ;  she  cannot 
run,  and  if  she  could,  she  must  not,  for  it  would 
be  vulgar  !  Every  mother  should  shrink  from  the 
sight  of  such  a  picture. 


CHAPTER  V. 

CLEANLINESS. 


Structure  of  the  skin.  Nature  of  perspiration. 

No  mother  will  ever  pay  that  attention  to  clean- 
liness which  its  importance  to  health  and  happiness 
demands,  till  she  perceives  its  necessity.  And 
she  will  never  perceive  that  necessity,  till  she  has 
studied  attentively  the  machinery  of  the  human 
frame ;  and  especially  its  wonderful  covering. 

The  skin  is  pierced  with  little  openings  or  pores, 
so  numerous  that  some  have  reckoned  them  at  a 
million  to  every  square  inch.  At  all  events,  they 
are  so  small  that  the  naked  eye  can  neither  dis- 
tinguish nor  count  them  ;  and  so  numerous,  that 
we  cannot  pierce  the  skin  with  the  finest  needle, 
without  hitting  one  or  more  of  them. 

When  we  are  in  perfect  health,  and  the  skin  is 
clean,  a  gentle  moisture  or  mist  continually  oozes 
through  these  pores.  This  process  is  called  per- 
spiration ;  and  the  moisture  which  thus  escapes, 
the  matter  of  perspiration. 

Perspiration  may  be  checked  in  two  ways;  1. 
By  filth  on  the  skin ;  2.  By  what  is  commonly  called 


88 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


What  taking  cold  is.       Consequences  of  colds.  Filthiness. 

taking  cold  -  for  taking  cold  essentially  consists  in 
chilling  the  skin  to  such  a  degree  as  to  stop,  for 
some  time,  the  escape  of  this  moisture.  Most 
persons  have  doubtless  observed,  that  in  the  first 
stages  of  a  cold,  they  frequently  have  a  very  dry 
skin ;  whereas,  when  we  are  in  health,  the  skin 
usually  feels  moist. 

Our  health  is  not  only  endangered,  and  a  foun- 
dation laid  for  fevers,  rheumatisms  and  consump- 
tions, by  stopping  the  pores  of  the  skin  with  dirt, 
or  anything  else,  but  there  is  also  danger  from 
another  and  a  very  different  source. 

The  blood,  in  its  circulation  through  the  body, 
is  constantly  becoming  impure ;  and  as  it  thus 
comes  back  impure  to  the  heart,  is  as  constantly 
sent  to  the  lungs,  where  it  comes  in  close  contact 
with  the  air  which  we  breathe,  and  is  purified. 
But  this  same  purifying  process  which  goes  on  in 
the  lungs,  goes  on,  too,  if  the  skin  is  in  a  pure, 
free,  healthy  condition,  all  over  the  surface  of  the 
body.  If  it  is  not — if  the  skin  cannot  do  this 
part  of  the  work — an  additional  burden  is  thus 
laid  on  the  lungs,  which,  in  this  way,  soon  become 
so  overworked  that  they  cannot  perform  their  own 
proportion  of  the  labor.  And  whenever  this  hap- 
pens, the  health  must  soon  suffer. 


CLEANLINESS. 


89 


Dirt  unhealthy.       Red  cheeks  do  not  always  indicate  health. 

The  strange  belief  that  "dirt  is  healthy/' has 
much  influence  on  the  daily  practice  of  thousands 
of  those  who  are  ignorant  of  the  human  structure, 
and  the  laws  which  govern  and  regulate  the  animal 
economy.  It  has  probably  originated  in  the  well- 
known  fact,  that  those  children  who  are  allowed  to 
play  in  the  dirt,  are  often  as  healthy — and  even 
more  healthy — than  those  who  are  confined  to  the 
nursery  or  the  parlor. 

Now  while  it  is  admitted  that  this  is  a  very 
common  case,  it  is  yet  believed  that  the  former 
class  of  children  would  be  still  more  vigorous  than 
they  now  are,  if  they  were  kept  more  cleanly,  or 
were  at  least  frequently  washed.  It  is  not  the 
dirt  which  promotes  their  health,  but  their  active 
exercise  in  the  open  air  ;  the  advantages  of  which 
are  more  than  sufficient  to  compensate  for  the  in- 
jury which  they  sustain  from  the  dirt.  That  is  to 
say,  they  retain,  in  spite  of  the  dirt,  better  health 
than  those  who  are  denied  the  blessings  of  pure 
air  and  abundant  exercise,  and  subjected  to  the 
opposite  extreme  of  almost  constant  confinement. 

There  is  something  deceitful,  after  all,  in  the 
ruddy,  blooming  appearance  of  those  children  who 
are  left  by  the  busy  parent  to  play  in  the  road  or 
field,  without  attention  to  cleanliness.  If  this  were 
not  so,  how  comes  it  to  pass  that  they  suffer  much 


90 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Punishment  remote.       Mistake  about  consumptive  persons. 

more,  not  only  from  chronic,  but  from  acute  dis- 
eases, than  children  whose  parents  are  in  better 
circumstances  ? 

I  am  the  more  solicitous  to  combat  a  belief  in 
the  salutary  tendency  of  an  unclean  skin,  because 
I  know  it  prevails  to  some  extent ;  and  because  I 
know  also,  both  from  reason  and  from  fact,  that  it 
is  a  gross  error. 

It  is,  however,  true,  that  years  sometimes  inter- 
vene, before  the  evil  consequences  of  dirtiness 
appear.  The  office  of  the  vessels  of  the  skin 
being  interrupted,  an  increase  of  action  is  imposed 
on  other  parts,  especially  on  those  internal  organs 
commonly  called  glands,  which  action  is  apt  to 
settle  into  obstinate  disease.  Hence,  at  least 
when  aided  by  other  causes,  often  arise,  in  later 
life,  after  the  source  of  the  evil  is  forgotten,  if  it 
were  ever  suspected,  rheumatism,  scrofula,  jaun- 
dice, and  even  consumption. 

There  is  a  strange  notion  abroad,  that  the  smell 
of  the  earth  is  beneficial,  especially  to  consumptive 
persons.  I  honestly  believe,  however,  that  it  is 
more  likely  to  create  consumption  than  to  cure  it. 
Besides,  in  what  does  this  smell  consist  ?  Do  the 
silex,  the  alumine,  and  the  other  earths,  with  their 
compounds,  emit  any  odor?    Rarely,  I  believe, 


CLEANLINESS. 


91 


Author's  protest.  Cleanliness  favorable  to  morality. 

unless  when  mixed  with  vegetable  matter.  But 
no  gases  necessary  to  health  are  evolved  during 
the  decomposition  of  vegetable  matter;  on  the 
contrary,  it  is  well  known  that  many  of  them  tend 
to  induce  disease. 

I  am  thoroughly  persuaded  that  too  much  atten- 
tion cannot  be  paid  to  cleanliness  ;  and  the  demand 
for  such  attention  is  equally  imperious  in  the  case 
of  those  who  cultivate  the  earth,  or  labor  in  it,  or 
on  stone,  during  the  intervals  of  their  useful  avo- 
cations, as  in  the  case  of  those  individuals  who 
follow  other  employments. 

I  must  also  protest  against  the  doctrine,  that  the 
smell  or  taste  of  the  earth,  much  less  a  coat  of  it 
spread  over  the  surface,  and  closing  up,  for  hours 
and  days  together,  thousands  and  millions  of  those 
little  pores  with  which  the  Author  of  this  "  won- 
drous frame "  has  pierced  the  skin,  can  have  a 
salutary  tendency. 

The  opinion  has  even  been  maintained,  that 
uncleanly  habits  are  not  only  unfavorable  to  health, 
but  to  morality.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  he 
who  neglects  his  person  and  dress  will  be  found 
lower  in  the  scale  of  morals,  other  things  being 
equal,  than  he  who  pays  a  due  regard  to  cleanli- 
ness. 


92 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Bowel  complaints  caused  by  foul  skin.  Frequent  bathing. 

Some  have  supposed  that  a  disposition  to  ne- 
glect personal  cleanliness  was  indicative  of  genius. 
But  this  opinion  is  grossly  erroneous,  and  has  well 
nigh  ruined  many  a  young  man. 

I  am  far  from  recommending  any  degree  of  fas- 
tidiousness on  this  subject.  Truth  and  correct 
practice  usually  lie  between  extremes.  But  I  do 
and  must  insist,  that  the  connection  between  clean- 
liness of  body  and  purity  of  moral  character,  is 
much  more  close  and  direct  than  has  usually  been 
supposed. 

But  to  return  to  the  more  immediate  effects  of 
cleanliness  on  health.  There  is  one  class  of  dis- 
eases in  particular  which,  in  an  eminent  degree, 
owe  their  origin  to  a  neglect  of  cleanliness.  I  refer 
to  the  bowel  complaints,  so  common  among  chil- 
dren during  summer  and  autumn.  Except  in  case 
of  teething,  the  use  of  unripe  fruits,  or  the  abuse 
of  those  which  are  in  themselves  excellent,  it  is 
probable  that  more  than  half  of  the  bowel  com- 
plaints of  the  young  are  either  produced  or  greatly 
aggravated  by  a  foul  skin. 

The  importance  of  washing  the  whole  body  in 
water  will  be  insisted  on  in  the  chapter  on  Bath- 
ing ;  it  is  therefore  unnecessary  to  say  anything 
farther  on  that  subject  in  this  place,  except  to  ob- 


CLEANLINESS. 


93 


Washing1.  Changing  our  dress.  Night  dresses. 

serve  that  whether  the  washings  of  the  body  be 
partial  or  general,  they  should  be  thorough,  so  far 
as  they  are  carried.  There  are  thousands  of  chil- 
dren who,  in  pretending  to  wash  their  hands  and 
face,  will  do  little  more  than  wet  the  inside  of 
their  hands,  and  the  tips  of  their  noses  and  ears, 
unless  great  care  is  taken. 

Few  things  are  more  important  than  suitable 
changes  of  dress.  There  are  those  who,  from 
principle,  never  wear  the  same  under  garment  but 
one  day  without  washing,  either  in  summer  or 
winter ;  and  there  are  others  wrho,  though  they 
may  wear  an  article  without  washing  two  or  three 
successive  days,  take  care  to  change  their  dress  at 
night — never  sleeping  in  a  garment  which  they 
have  worn  during  the  day. 

It  is  a  very  common  objection  to  suggestions  like 
these,  that  they  will  do  very  well  for  those  who 
have  wealth,  but  not  for  the  poor  ; — that  they 
have  neither  the  time  nor  the  means  of  attending 
to  them.  How  can  they  change  their  clothes 
every  day? — we  are  asked.  And  how  can  they 
afford  to  have  a  separate  dress  for  the  night  ? 

There  must  be  retrenchment  in  some  other 
matters,  it  is  admitted.  In  order  to  find  time  for 
more  washing,  or  money  to  pay  others  for  the 


94 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Self-denial  in  regard  to  dress.  Other  matters. 

labor,  the  poor  must  deny  themselves  a  few 
things  which  they  now  suppose,  if  they  have  ever 
thought  at  all  on  the  subject,  are  conducive  to 
their  happiness — but  which  are,  in  reality,  either 
useless  or  injurious.  Something  may  be  saved 
by  a  reasonable  dress,  as  I  have  already  shown. 
Other  items  of  expense,  which  might  be  spared 
with  great  advantage  to  health  and  happiness,  ana 
applied  to  the  purpose  in  question,  will  be  men- 
tioned in  the  chapters  on  Food  and  Drink. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BATHING. 


Early  cold  bathing-.  Very  objectionable.  Why. 

Some  of  the  hardy  nations  of  antiquity,  as  well 
as  a  few  savage  tribes  of  modern  times,  plunge 
their  new-born  infants  into  cold  water.  This  is 
done  for  the  two-fold  purpose  of  washing  and 
hardening  them. 

To  all  who  reason  but  for  a  moment  on  this 
subject,  the  danger  of  such  a  practice  must  be 
obvious.  So  sudden  a  change  from  a  temperature 
of  nearly  100°  of  Fahrenheit  to  one  quite  low, 
perhaps  scarcely  40°,  must  and  does  have  a 
powerful  effect  on  the  nervous  system  even  of  an 
adult ;  but  how  much  more  on  that  of  a  tender 
infant !  We  may  form  some  idea  of  this,  by  the 
suddenness  and  violence  of  its  cries,  by  the  sudden 
contractions  and  relaxations  of  its  limbs  and  body, 
and  by  its  palpitating  heart  and  difficult  breathing. 

Every  one's  experience  may  also  remind  him5 
that  what  produces  at  best  a  momentary  pain  to 
himself,  cannot  be  otherwise  than  painful  to  the 
infant.  In  making  a  comparison  between  adults 
and  infants,  however,  in  this  respect,  we  should 


96 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Rousseau's  opinion.  Erroneous.  Infanticide. 

remember  that  the  lungs  of  the  infant  do  not  get 
into  full  and  vigorous  action  until  some  time  after 
birth  ;  and  that  on  this  account,  the  hold  they 
have  on  life  is  so  feeble  that  any  powerful  shock, 
and  especially  that  given  by  the  cold  bath,  is  ten 
times  more  dangerous  to  them  than  to  adults,  or 
even  to  infants  themselves,  after  a  few  months 
have  elapsed. 

It  is  surprising  to  me  that  so  sensible  a  writer  as 
Rousseau  generally  is  on  education,  should  have 
encouraged  this  dangerous  practice ;  and  still  more 
so  that  many  fathers  even  now,  blinded  by  theory, 
should  persist  in  it,  notwithstanding  the  pleadings 
of  the  mother  or  the  nurse,  and  the  plainest  dic- 
tates of  common  sense  and  common  prudence.* 


*  Nothing  is  intended  to  be  said  here,  which  shall  en- 
courage unthinking  nurses  or  mothers,  in  setting  them- 
selves against  measures  which  have  been  prescribed  by 
higher  authority — I  mean  the  physician.  There  are 
cases  of  this  kind,  where  it  requires  all  the  resolution 
which  a  father,  uninterrupted,  can  summon  to  his  aid,  to 
administer  a  close,  or  perform  a  task,  on  which  he  knows 
the  existence  of  his  child  may  be  depending;  but  when 
the  thoughtless  entreaties  of  the  mother  or  nurse  are 
interposed,  it  makes  his  condition  most  distressing. 
Mothers,  in  such  cases,  ought  to  encourage  rather  than 
remonstrate.  They  who  do  not,  are  guilty  of  cruelty, 
and — perhaps — of  infanticide. 


BATHING. 


97 


Danger  from  early  cold  bathing.  Apparent  exceptions. 

A  child  plunged  into  cold  water  at  birth,  by 
those  whose  theories  carry  them  so  far  as  to  do  it 
even  in  the  coldest  weather,  has  sometimes  been 
twenty-four  hours  in  recovering,  notwithstanding 
the  most  active  and  judicious  efforts  to  restore  it. 
In  other  instances,  the  result  has  been  still  more 
distressing.  Dr.  Dewees  is  persuaded  that  he 
has  "  known  death  itself  to  follow  the  use  of 
cold  water,"  in  this  way — I  believe  he  means 
immediate  death — and  adds,  with  great  confidence, 
that  he  has  "  repeatedly  seen  it  require  the  lapse 
of  several  hours  before  reaction  could  establish 
itself;  during  which  time  the  pale  and  sunken 
cheeks,  and  livid  lips,  declared  the  almost  ex- 
hausted state"  of  the  infant's  excitability.* 

We  need  not  hesitate  to  put  very  great  confi- 
dence in  the  opinion  here  expressed  ;  for  besides 
being  a  close  and  just  observer  of  human  nature, 
Dr.  D.  has  had  the  direction  and  management,  in 
a  greater  or  less  degree,  of  several  thousands  of 
new-born  infants. 

Nothing,  indeed,  in  the  whole  range  of  physical 
education,  seems  better  proved,  than  that  while  a 
few  infants,  whose  constitutions  are  naturally  very 


*  "Dewees  on  Children,"  page  72. 
7 


98 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Spirits  added  to  the  water.  Medical  advice  on  bathing-. 

strong,  are  invigorated  by  the  practice  in  question, 
others,  in  the  proportion  of  hundreds  for  one,  who 
are  less  robust,  are  injured  for  life ;  some  of  them 
seriously. 

Nor  will  spirits  added  to  the  water  make  any 
material  difference.  I  am  aware  that  there  is  a 
very  general  notion  abroad,  that  the  injurious 
effects  of  cold  water,  in  its  application  both  inter- 
nally and  externally,  are  greatly  diminished  by  the 
addition  of  a  little  spirit ;  but  it  is  not  so.  Does 
the  addition  of  such  a  small  quantity  of  spirit  as 
is  generally  used  in  these  cases,  materially  alter 
the  temperature  ?  Is  it  not  the  application  of  a 
cold  liquid  to  a  heated  surface,  still  ?  Can  we 
make  anything  else  of  it,  either  more  or  less  ? # 

I  do  not  undertake  to  say,  that  the  cold  bath 
may  not  be  so  managed,  in  the  progress  of  infancy, 
as  to  make  it  beneficial,  especially  to  some  consti- 
tutions. It  is  its  indiscriminate  application  to  all 
new-born  children,  without  regard  to  strength  of 
constitution  or  any  other  circumstances,  that  I  most 
strenuously  oppose.    Of  its  occasional  use,  under 


*  This  subject  will  be  resumed,  when  we  come  to 
speak  of  the  injudicious  use  of  medicine  in  infancy,  or  of 
hardening* 


BATHING. 


99 


First  washings.    Temperature  of  the  room — the  water.  Dress. 

the  eye  of  a  physician,  and  by  parents  who  will 
discriminate,  I  have  nothing  at  present  to  say. 

Our  first  duty  on  receiving  a  new  inhabitant  of 
the  world  is,  to  see  that  it  is  gently  but  thoroughly 
washed,  in  moderately  wrarm  soft  water,  with  fine 
soap.  Special  attention  should  be  paid  to  the  folds 
of  the  joints,  the  neck,  the  arm  pits,  &c.  For 
rubbing  the  body,  in  order  to  disengage  anything 
which  might  obstruct  the  pores,  or  irritate  or  fret 
the  skin,  nothing  can  be  preferable  to  a  piece  of 
soft  sponge  or  flannel.  Though  the  operation 
should  be  thorough,  and  also  as  rapid  as  the  nature 
of  circumstances  will  permit,  all  harshness  should 
be  avoided.  When  finished,  the  child  should  be 
wiped  perfectly  dry  with  soft  flannel. 

While  the  washing  is  performed,  the  tempera 
ture  of  the  room  should  be  but  a  few  degrees 
lower  than  that  of  the  water ;  and  the  child  should 
not  be  exposed  to  currents  of  cold  air.  If  the 
weather  is  severe,  or  if  currents  of  air  in  the  room 
cannot  otherwise  be  avoided,  the  dressing,  un- 
dressing, washing,  &c.  may  be  done  near  the  fire. 
And  I  repeat  the  rule,  it  should  always  be  done 
with  as  much  rapidity  as  is  compatible  with  safety. 
Here  will  be  seen  one  great  advantage  of  simplicity 
in  the  form  of  dress.  If  the  more  rational  sugges- 
tions of  our  chapter  on  that  subject  are  attended 


100 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Warm  bathing.       Water  without  mixture.       Proper  hour. 

to,  it  will  greatly  facilitate  the  process  of  washing, 
and  the  subsequent  daily  process  of  bathing,  which 
I  am  about  to  recommend  to  my  readers. 

This  washing  process  is  also  an  introduction  to 
bathing.  For  it  should  be  repeated  every  day; 
but  with  less  and  less  attention  to  the  washing, 
and  more  and  more  reference  to  the  bathing. 
How  long  the  child  should  stay  in  the  bath,  must 
be  left  to  experience.  If  he  is  quiet,  fifteen  min- 
utes can  never  be  too  long;  and  I  should  not  object 
to  twenty.  If  otherwise,  and  you  are  obliged  to 
remove  him  in  five  minutes,  or  even  in  three, 
still  the  bathing  will  be  of  too  much  service  to  be 
dispensed  with. 

Nothing  should  be  mixed  with  the  water,  if  the 
infant  is  healthy,  except  a  little  soap,  as  already 
mentioned.  Some  are  fond  of  using  salt;  but  it  is 
by  no  means  necessary,  and  may  do  harm. 

The  proper  hour  for  bathing  is  the  early  part 
of  the  day,  or  about  the  middle  of  the  forenoon. 
This  season  is  selected,  because  the  process,  man- 
age it  as  carefully  as  we  may,  is  at  first  a  little 
exhausting.  As  the  child  grows  older,  however^ 
and  not  only  becomes  stronger,  but  appears  to  be 
actually  refreshed  and  invigorated  by  the  bath,  it 
will  be  advisable  to  defer  it  to  a  later  and  later 
hour.    By  the  time  the  babe  is  three  months  old, 


BATHING 


101 


A  thermometer  indispensable.  One  general  rule. 

particularly  in  the  warm  season,  the  hour  of  bath- 
ing may  be  at  sunset. 

The  degree  of  heat  must  be  determined,  in  part, 
by  observing  its  effect  on  the  child ;  and  in  part 
by  a  thermometer.  For  this,  and  for  other  pur- 
poses, a  thermometer,  as  I  have  already  more  than 
hinted,  is  indispensable  in  every  nursery.  Our  own 
sensations  are  often  at  best  a  very  unsafe  guide. 
There  is  one  rule  which  should  always  be  ob- 
served ; — never  to  have  the  temperature  of  the 
bath  below  that  of  the  air  of  the  room.  If  the 
thermometer  show  the  latter  to  be  70°,  the  bath 
should  be  something  like  80° :  perhaps  with  fee- 
ble children,  rather,  more. 

Great  care  ought  always  to  be  taken,  to  propor- 
tion the  air  of  the  room  and  the  water  of  the  bath 
to  each  other.  If,  for  example,  the  temperature 
of  the  room  have  been,  for  some  time,  unusually 
warm,  that  of  the  water  must  not  be  so  low  as  if 
it  had  been  otherwise.  On  the  contrary,  if  the 
room  have  been,  for  a  considerable  time,  rather 
cool,  the  bath  may  be  made  several  degrees  cooler 
than  in  other  circumstances.  But  in  no  case,  and 
in  no  circumstances,  must  a  warm  bath — intended 
as  such,  simply — be  so  warm  or  so  cold  as  to  make 
the  child  uncomfortable,  whether  the  temperature 
be  70°,  80°  or  90°. 


102 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Size  of  a  bathing  vessel.  Foolish  fears. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add,  that  in  bathing 
a  young  child,  the  vessel  used  for  the  purpose 
should  be  large  enough  to  give  free  scope  to  all  the 
motions  of  its  extremities.  Most  children  are  de- 
lighted to  play  and  scramble  about  in  the  water. 
I  know,  indeed,  that  the  contrary  sometimes  hap- 
pens ;  but  when  it  does,  it  is  usually— I  do  not 
say  always — because  the  countenances  of  those 
who  are  around  express  fear  or  apprehension ;  for 
it  is  surprising  how  early  these  little  beings  learn 
to  decipher  our  feelings  by  our  very  countenances. 

Some  of  our  readers  may  be  surprised  at  the 
intimation  that  there  are  mothers  and  nurses  who 
have  fears  or  apprehensions  in  regard  to  the  effects 
of  the  warm  bath ;  but  others — and  it  is  for  such 
that  I  write  this  paragraph — understand  me  better 
than  I  wish  they  did.  I  have  often  been  surprised 
at  the  fact,  but  it  is  undoubted,  that  there  is  a 
strong  prejudice  against  warm  bathing,  in  many 
parts  of  the  country.  In  endeavoring  to  trace  the 
cause,  I  have  usually  found  that  it  arose  from  hav- 
ing seen  or  heard  of  some  child  who  died  soon 
after  its  application.  I  have  had  many  a  parent 
remonstrate  with  me  on  the  danger  of  the  warm 
bath  ;  and  this,  too,  in  circumstances  when  it  ap- 
peared to  me  that  the  child's  existence  depended, 
under  God,  on  that  very  measure.    Perhaps  it  is 


BATHING. 


103 


How  they  probably  arose.  Other  whims  and  prejudices. 

useless,  in  such  cases,  however,  to  reason  with  pa- 
rents on  the  subject.  The  medical  practitioner 
must  do  his  duty  boldly  and  fearlessly,  and  risk 
the  consequences. 

But  as  I  am  writing,  not  for  persons  under 
immediate  excitement,  but  for  those  that  may  be 
reasoned  with,  it  is  proper  to  say,  that  in  medicine, 
the  warm  bath  is  so  often  used  in  extreme  cases, 
and  as  a  last  resort,  even  when  death  has  already 
grasped,  or  is  about  to  fix  his  grasp  on  the  sufferer, 
that  it  would  be  very  strange  if  many  persons  did 
not  die,  just  after  bathing.  But  that  the  bathing 
itself  ever  produced  this  result,  in  one  case  in  a 
thousand,  there  is  not  the  slightest  reason  for  be- 
lieving.* 

There  are  many  more  whims  connected  with 
bathing,  as  with  almost  everything  else,  which  it 
were  equally  desirable  to  remove.  Some  nurses 
and  mothers  think  that  if  the  child's  skin  is  wiped 
dry  after  bathing,  it  will  impair,  if  not  destroy,  the 


*  Let  me  not  be  understood  as  intimating  that  the 
general  neglect  of  bathing,  of  which  I  complain  so 
loudly,  is  chiefly  owing  to  this  unreasonable  prejudice, 
though  this  no  doubt  has  its  sway.  On  the  contrary,  I 
believe  it  is  much  oftener  owing  to  ignorance,  indolence 
and  parsimony. 


104 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Wearing  wet  clothes.       Dewees'  objections  to  cold  bathing. 

good  effects  of  the  operation.  Others  still,  shock- 
ing to  relate,  will  even  put  it  to  bed  in  its  wet 
clothes;  this,  too,  from  principle.  Not  unlike  this 
is  the  belief,  very  common  among  adults,  that  if 
we  get  our  clothes  wet — even  our  stockings — we 
must,  by  all  means,  suffer  them  to  dry  on  us; — a 
belief  which,  in  its  results,  has  sent  thousands  to  a 
premature  grave,  and  what  is  still  worse,  made 
invalids,  for  life,  of  a  still  greater  number. 

I  am  aware,  that  in  rejecting  the  cold  bathing  of 
infants,  I  am  treading  on  ground  which  is  rather 
unpopular,  even  with  medical  men  ;  a  large  pro- 
portion of  whom  seem  to  believe  that  the  practice 
may  be  useful.  But  I  am  not  wholly  alone.  Dr. 
Dewees — of  whose  large  experience  I  have  al- 
ready spoken — and  not  a  few  other  medical  men, 
do  not  hesitate  to  avow  similar  sentiments. 

The  objections  of  Dr.  Dewees  to  cold  bathing 
are  the  following  r — 1 .  There  often  exists  a  predis- 
position to  disease,  which  cold  bathing  is  sure  to 
rouse  to  action.  Or  if  the  disease  have  already 
begun  to  affect  the  system,  the  bath  is  sure  to 
aggravate  it.  2.  Some  children  have  such  feeble 
constitutions  that  they  are  sure  to  be  permanently 
weakened  by  it,  rather  than  invigorated.  3.  To 
those  in  whom  there  is  the  tendency  of  a  large 
quantity  of  blood  to  the  head,  lungs,  liver,  &ic, 


BATHING. 


105 


A  formidable  list.  Some  mistakes  of  the  doctor's. 

it  is  injurious.  4.  In  some,  the  shock  produces  a 
species  of  syncope,  or  catalepsy,  5.  The  reaction, 
as  shown  by  the  heat  which  follows  the  cold  bath, 
is,  in  some  cases,  so  great  as  to  produce  a  degree 
of  fever,  and  consequent  debility.  6.  It  never 
answers  the  purposes  of  cleanliness — one  great 
object  of  bathing — so  well  as  the  warm  bath.  7. 
It  is  always  painful  or  unpleasant  to  the  child ; 
especially  at  first.  8.  It  sometimes  produces  se- 
vere pain  in  the  bowels. 

This  is  a  very  formidable  list  of  objections ;  and 
certainly  deserves  consideration.  There  is  one 
statement  made  by  Dr.  D.,  in  the  progress  of  his 
remarks  on  this  subject,  in  which  I  do  not  concur. 
He  says,  "  the  object  of  all  bathing  is  to  remove 
impurities  arising  from  dust,  perspiration,  &c, 
from  the  surface  ;  that  the  skin  may  not  be  ob- 
structed in  the  performance  of  its  proper  offices." 
But  the  object  of  cold  bathing,  with  many,  is  to 
harden;  consequently  it  is  not  true  that  cleanliness 
is  the  only  object.  If  he  means,  even,  that  clean- 
liness is  the  only  legitimate  object  of  all  bathing,  I 
shall  still  be  compelled  to  dissent. 

If  the  cold  bath  could  be  used,  always,  by  and 
with  the  direction  of  a  skilful  physician,  I  believe 
its  occasional  use  might  be  rendered  salutary. 
And  although  as  it  is  now  commonly  used,  I  be- 


106 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


A  two-edged  sword.   When  may  the  cold  bath  be  safely  used  ? 

lieve  its  effects  are  almost  anything  but  salutary, 
I  do  not  deny  that  if  its  use  were  cautiously  and 
gradually  begun,  and  judiciously  conducted,  it 
might  be  the  means  of  making  children  who  are 
already  robust  still  more  hardy  and  healthy  than 
before,  and  better  able  to  resist  those  sudden 
changes  of  temperature  so  common  in  our  climate, 
and  so  apt  to  produce  cold,  fever  and  consumption* 

Cold  bathing,  in  the  hands  of  those  who  are 
ignorant  of  the  laws  of  the  human  frame — and 
such  unfortunately  and  unaccountably  most  fathers 
and  mothers  are — I  cannot  help  regarding  as  a 
highly  dangerous  weapon — a  two-edged  sword ; 
and  therefore  it  is  that,  in  view  of  the  whole  sub- 
ject, I  cannot  recommend  its  general  use. 

If  there  are  individuals,  however,  who  are  de- 
termined to  employ  it,  in  the  case  of  their  more 
vigorous  children,  and  without  the  advice  or  direc- 
tion of  their  family  physician,  I  beg  them  to  attend 
to  the  following  rules  or  principles,  expressed  as 
briefly  as  possible. 

In  no  ordinary  case  whatever  is  the  cold  bath 
useful,  unless  it  is  succeeded  by  that  degree  of 
warmth  on  the  surface  of  the  body  which  is  usually 
called  a  glow.  This  is  a  leading  and  important 
principle.  The  contrary,  that  is,  the  injurious 
effects  of  cold  bathing — its  immediate  bad  effects, 


BATHING. 


107 


Warmth  after  it.  Age — hour  of  the  day — frequency. 

I  mean — are  shown  by  the  skin  remaining  pale 
and  shrivelled  after  coming  out  of  the  bath,  by  its 
blue  appearance  and  by  its  coldness,  as  well  as  by 
a  sunken  state  of  the  eyes,  and  much  general  lan- 
guor. 

To  secure  this  point — I  mean  the  glow — it  is 
indispensably  important  to  begin  the  use  of  cold 
water  gradually ;  that  is,  to  use  it  at  first  of  so  high 
a  temperature  as  to  produce  only  a  slight  sensation 
of  cold  ;  and  to  take  special  care  that  the  skin  be 
immediately  wiped  very  dry,  and  the  temperature 
of  the  room  be  quite  as  high  as  usual.  Afterward 
the  water  may  be  cooled  gradually,  from  week  to 
week,  though  never  more  than  a  degree  or  two  at 
once. 

It  will  probably  be  unsafe  to  commence  this 
practice  of  cold  bathing — even  in  the  case  of  the 
most  robust  children — until  they  are  at  least  six 
months  of  age. 

The  appropriate  season  will  be  the  middle  of 
the  forenoon,  the  hour  when  the  system  is  usually 
the  most  vigorous,  and  at  which  we  shall  be  most 
likely  to  secure  a  reaction.  At  first,  two  or  three 
times  a  week  are  as  often  as  it  will  be  safe  to 
repeat  it.  Some  writers  recommend  it  twice  a 
day  ;  but  once  is  enough,  under  any  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances. 


108 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Coming  out  of  the  bath.      Dressing1.      Exercise  and  singing. 

The  method  at  first  is,  to  give  the  infant  a  single 
plunge.  Afterward,  when  he  becomes  older  and 
more  inured  to  it,  he  may  be  plunged  several 
times  in  succession. 

On  taking  him  out  of  the  bath,  the  skin  should 
be  wiped  perfectly  dry,  as  in  the  case  of  the  warm 
bath,  and  with  the  same  or  an  increased  degree  of 
attention  to  other  circumstances — the  temperature 
of  the  room,  the  avoiding  of  currents,  ho.  He 
should  next  be  put  into  a  soft,  warm  blanket,  and 
be  kept  for  some  time  in  a  state  of  gentle  motion ; 
and  after  a  little  time,  should  be  dressed. 

I  have  already  mentioned  the  importance  of 
avoiding  the  manifestation  of  fear,  when  we  bathe 
a  child ;  and  the  caution  is  particularly  necessary 
in  the  administration  of  the  cold  bath.  Some 
writers  even  recommend,  that  during  the  whole 
process  of  undressing,  bathing,  exercising  and 
dressing,  singing  should  be  employed.  There  is 
philosophy  in  this  advice,  and  it  is  easily  tried ; 
but  I  cannot  speak  of  it  from  experience. 

There  is  one  thing  which  may  serve  to  calm 
our  apprehensions — if  we  have  any — of  danger; 
which  is,  that  though  the  child's  lungs  are  feeble 
at  first,  from  their  not  having  been,  like  the  heart, 
accustomed  to  previous  action,  yet  when  they  get 
fairly  into  motion  and  action,  and  the  child  is  a  few 


BATHING. 


109 


More  particulars.  Local  use  of  cold  water. 

months  old,  they  are  probably  as  strong,  if  not 
stronger,  in  proportion,  than  those  of  adults. 

Bathing  in  cold  water  should  never  be  per- 
formed immediately  after  a  full  meal.  Neither  is  it 
desirable  to  go  to  the  contrary  extreme,  and  bathe 
when  the  stomach  has  been  long  empty ;  nor 
when  the  child's  mental  or  bodily  powers  are  more 
than  usually  exhausted  by  fatigue. 

Although  I  have  given  these  rules  for  those 
who  are  determined  to  use  the  cold  bath  with 
their  children,  yet  for  fear  I  shall  be  misunderstood, 
I  must  be  suffered  to  repeat,  in  this  place,  that, 
uninformed  as  people  generally  are  in  regard  to 
physiology,  I  cannot  advise  even  its  moderate  use. 
On  the  contrary,  I  would  gladly  dissuade  from  it, 
as  most  likely,  in  the  way  it  would  inevitably  be 
used,  to  do  more  of  harm  than  good. 

There  is  no  sort  of  objection  to  what  might  be 
called  local  bathing  with  cold  water.  If  the  child's 
head  is  hot  at  any  time,  the  temples,  and  indeed 
the  whole  upper  part  of  the  head,  may  be  very 
properly  wet  with  moderately  cold  water  ;  taking 
care  to  avoid  wetting  the  clothes.  But  avoid,  by 
all  means,  the  common  but  foolish  practice  of 
putting  spirits  in  the  water. 

A  tea-spoonful  of  cold  water  cannot  be  too  early 
put  into  the  mouth  of  the  infant.    The  object  is 


110 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Shower  bath.  Vapor  bath.  Medicated  vapor  bath. 

to  cleanse  or  rinse  the  mouth  ;  and  the  process 
may  be  aided  by  wiping  it  out  with  a  piece  of  soft 
linen  rag.  If  a  part  or  all  of  the  water  should  be 
swallowed,  no  harm  will  be  done.  This  practice, 
commenced  almost  as  soon  as  children  are  born, 
has  saved  many  a  sore  mouth. 

There  are  other  forms  of  bathing  besides  those 
already  mentioned  ;  among  which  are  the  shower 
bath,  the  vapor  bath,  and  the  medicated  bath. 

The  shower  bath — for  which  purpose  the  water 
is  commonly  used  cold — is  but  poorly  adapted  to 
the  wants  of  infants.  The  shock  is  much  greater 
than  in  the  common  cold  bath,  and  more  apt  to 
frighten  ;  and  fear  is  unfavorable  to  reaction,  or 
the  production  of  a  genial  glow. 

The  vapor  bath  is  much  better ;  and  probably 
has  quite  as  good  an  effect  as  the  common  warm 
bath.  The  trouble  and  expense  of  procuring  the 
necessary  apparatus  is  somewhat  greater,  however, 
as  a  mere  bathing  tub  costs  but  little,  and  can  be 
made  by  every  father  who  possesses  common 
ingenuity.  But  whatever  may  be  the  expense,  it 
is  indispensable  in  every  family ;  and  whenever 
the  pores  of  the  skin  are  obstructed,  a  vapor  bath- 
ing apparatus  is  equally  desirable. 

The  medicated  vapor  bath  is  sometimes  used ; 
but  I  am  not  now  treating  of  infants  who  are  sick, 
but  of  those  who  are  in  a  state  of  health. 


BATHING. 


Ill 


Salt  in  the  bath.  Applying  water  with  a  cloth  or  sponge. 

The  common  warm  bath  is  sometimes  medicated 
by  putting  in  salt.  This,  of  course,  renders  the 
water  more  stimulating  to  the  skin;  but  except 
when  the  perspiration  is  checked,  or  the  skin  pe- 
culiarly inactive. from  some  other  cause — in  other 
words,  unless  we  are  sick — it  is  seldom  expedient 
to  use  it. 

There  is  one  substitute  for  the  bathing  tub,  in 
the  case  of  the  cold  bath.  I  refer  to  the  use  of  a 
wet  cloth  or  sponge,  applied  rapidly  to  the  whole 
surface  of  the  body.  When  this  is  done,  the  skin 
should  be  wiped  thoroughly  dry  immediately  after- 
wards, as  in  the  case  of  complete  immersion. 

The  application  of  either  a  cloth  or  a  sponge, 
filled  with  warm  water,  to  the  skin,  in  this  manner, 
even  if  continued  for  several  minutes  together,  is 
less  efficacious  than  a  continuous  immersion.  I 
repeat  it — no  family  ought  to  be  without  con- 
veniences for  bathing  in  warm  water  daily.  I 
speak  now  of  every  member  of  the  family,  young 
and  old,  as  well  as  the  infant;  and  I  refer  particu- 
larly to  the  summer  season  :  though  I  do  not 
think  the  practice  ought  to  be  wholly  discontinued 
during  the  winter. 

It  will  still  be  objected,  that  this  care  of,  and 
attention  to  the  young,  in  reference  to  health, — 
this  provision  for  bathing  daily,  and  care  to  see 


112 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Bathing  undervalued  by  parents.       It  was  so  by  the  Romans. 

that  it  is  performed, — can  never  be  afforded  by  the 
laboring  portion  of  the  community.  But  I  shall 
as  strenuously  insist  on  the  contrary  ;  and  trust  I 
shall,  in  the  sequel,  produce  reasons  which  will  be 
satisfactory. 

The  great  difficulty  is,  to  convince  parents  that 
these  things  are  vastly  more  productive  of  health 
and  happiness  to  their  children — more  truly  neces- 
saries— than  a  great  many  things  for  which  they 
now  expend  their  time  and  money.  There  is,  and 
always  has  been, — except,  perhaps,  among  the 
Jews,  in  the  earliest  periods  of  the  history  of  that 
wonderful  nation, — a  strange  disposition  to  overlook 
the  happiness  of  th£  young.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  represent  this  dereliction  as  peculiar  to  modern 
times,  for  we  find  traces  of  the  same  thing  thou- 
sands of  years  ago. 

The  Roman  emperors — Dioclesian  in  particular 
— could  make  provision  for  bathing,  to  an  extent 
which  now  astonishes  us  ;  but  for  whom  ?  For 
whom,  I  repeat  it,  was  incurred  the  enormous  ex- 
pense of  fitting  up  and  keeping  in  repair  accommo- 
dations for  bathing  at  once  18,000  people  ?  For 
adults  ;  and  for  adults  alone.  I  do  not  say,  that 
children  were  not  admitted,  in  any  case  ;  but  I  say 
they  were  not  contemplated.  Nothing  was  done, 
— not  a  single  thing, — that  would  not  have  been 


BATHING. 


113 


Why  we  neglect  children.       Domestic  animals  not  so  treated. 

done,  had  there  been  no  child  under  ten  years  of 
age  in  the  whole  empire. 

And  what  better  than  this  do  we,  now  ?  We 
make  provision  for  the  happiness  of  the  adult. 
The  most  indigent  person  will  find  time  and  money 
to  spend  for  the  gratification  of  his  own  senses,  his 
pride  or  his  curiosity  ;  but  his  children — they 
must  be  overlooked  !  Or,  if  he  has  an  eye  to  the 
future  happiness  of  his  child,  he  conceives  that 
he  is  promoting  it  in  the  best  possible  degree,  by 
endeavoring  to  lay  up  a  few  dollars  for  his  use, 
after  his  character  is  formed,  at  a  period,  as  it  too 
often  happens,  when  money  will  do  him  little 
good,  since  it  can  purchase  neither  peace  of  mind, 
health  or  reputation. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  say  that  the  poor — ground 
into  the  dust  as  they  are,  by  the  force  of  circum- 
stances operating  with  their  own  concurrence,  to 
make  them  ignorant,  vicious  or  miserable — can 
do  for  their  children  all  that  is  desirable.  By  no 
means.  But  they  have  it  in  their  power  to  do 
much  more  than  they  are  at  present  doing.  They 
have  it  in  their  power  to  use  the  same  good  sense 
in  the  management  of  the  human  being,  that  they 
do  in  that  of  a  pig,  a  calf,  or  a  colt,  or  even  a 
young  vegetable.  No  parent,  let  him  be  ever  so 
poor,  is  found  in  the  habit  of  neglecting  either  of 
8 


114 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Young  animals  and  vegetables.         Our  duty  to  children. 

these  in  proportion  to  its  infancy,  and  of  exerting 
himself  for  it  only  in  proportion  as  it  grows  older. 
Common  sense  tells  him  that  the  contrary  is  the 
true  course  ;  that  however  poor  he  may  be,  he 
will  be  still  poorer,  if  he  do  not  take  special  pains 
with  the  young  animal  to  rear  it,  and  with  the 
young  vegetable,  to  give  it  the  right  direction,  by 
keeping  down  the  weeds,  and  pruning  and  water- 
ing it.  And  I  say  again,  that  however  deserving 
of  censure  the  wealthy  of  a  christian  community 
may  be,  in  not  directing  the  ignorant  and  vicious 
into  the  right  path,  and  in  not  expending  more  of 
their  wealth  on  those  who  are  poor,  in  elevating 
their  minds  and  their  manners,  and  promoting 
their  health,  still  the  latter  are  inexcusable  for 
their  present  neglect  of  their  infant  offspring,  while 
they  would  not  think  of  neglecting,  on  the  sam§ 
principle,  the  offspring  of  their  domestic  animals. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


FOOD. 


Nature's  provisions.       Unfeeling1  mothers.       Their  excuses. 


Sec.  1.    General  Principles. 

The  mother's  milk,  in  suitable  quantity,  and 
under  suitable  regulations,  is  so  obviously  the  ap- 
propriate food  of  an  infant,  during  the  first  months 
of  its  existence,  that  it  seems  almost  unnecessary 
to  repeat  the  fact.  And  yet  the  violations  of  this 
rule  are  so  numerous  and  constant  as  to  require  a 
few  passing  remarks. 

There  are  some  mothers  who  seem  to  have  a 
perfect  hatred  of  children  ;  and  if  they  can  find 
any  plausible  apology  for  neglecting  to  nurse  them, 
they  will.  Few,  indeed,  will  publicly  acknowledge 
a  state  of  feeling  so  unnatural ;  but  there  are  some 
even  of  such.  On  the  latter,  all  argument  would, 
I  fear,  be  utterly  lost.  Of  the  former,  there  may 
be  hope. 

They  tell  us — and  they  are  often  sustained  by 
those  around  them — that  it  is  very  inconvenient 


116 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Further  apologies.  They  are  hollow.  Unnatural. 

to  be  so  confined  to  a  child  that  they  cannot  leave 
home  for  a  little  while.  Can  it  be  their  duty — 
for  in  these  days,  when  virtue,  and  religion,  and 
everything  good,  are  so  highly  complimented,  no 
people  are  more  ready  to  talk  of  duty  than  they 
who  have  the  least  regard  for  it — can  it  be  their 
duty,  they  ask,  to  exclude  themselves  from  the 
pleasures  and  comforts  of  social  life  for  half  or  two 
thirds  of  their  most  active  and  happy  years  ? 
Ought  they  not  to  go  abroad,  at  least  occasionally  ? 
But  if  so,  and  their  children  have  no  other  source 
of  dependence,  must  they  not  sufFer  ?  Is  it  not 
better,  therefore,  that  they  should  be  early  accus- 
tomed to  other  food,  for  a  part  of  the  time  ?  Be- 
sides, they  may  be  sick  ;  and  then  the  child  must 
rely  upon  others  ;  and  will  it  not  be  useful  to  ac- 
custom him  early  to  do  so  ? 

I  will  not  say,  that  many  mothers  are  conscious 
that  this  train  of  reasoning,  specious,  though  hol- 
low, as  it  is,  passes  through  their  minds.  But 
that  something  like  it  is  often  made  the  occasion 
of  substituting  food  which  is  less  proper,  for  that 
furnished  by  divine  Providence,  there  cannot  be  a 
doubt.  And  the  mischief  is,  that  she  who  has 
gone  so  far,  will  not  scruple,  ere  long,  to  go  farther. 
And,  strange  and  unnatural  as  it  may  seem,  that 
mothers  should  turn  over  their  children  to  be 


FOOD. 


117 


Unchristian.       Aping  foreign  fashions.      The  general  rule. 

nursed  wholly  by  others,  in  order  to  get  rid  of  the 
inconvenience  of  nursing  them  at  their  own  bosoms, 
it  is  only  carrying  out  to  its  fullest  extent,  and  re- 
ducing to  practice,  the  train  of  reasoning  mentioned 
above. 

Nor  is  it  necessary  that  I  should  stop  here,  to 
denounce  a  course  of  conduct  so  unchristian  and 
savage.  I  know  it  is  very  common  in  some  coun- 
tries ;  and  those  American  mothers  who  ape  the 
other  eastern  fashions,  or  countenance  their  sons 
and  daughters  in  doing  it,  will  not  be  slow  to  imi- 
tate this  also,  especially  as  it  is  a  very  convenient 
fashion.  Yet  I  question  whether  I  shall  succeed 
in  reasoning  them  out  of  it,  if  I  try.  I  will, 
therefore,  confine  myself  chiefly  to  those  efforts 
at  prevention,  from  which  much  more  is  to  be 
hoped,  in  the  present  state  of  society,  than  from 
direct  attempts  at  cure. 

It  will  be  soon  enough  to  leave  a  child  with 
another  person,  when  the  mother  is  actually  sick, 
or  unavoidably  absent ;  or  when  some  other  ade- 
quate cause  is  actually  present.  We  are  to  be 
governed,  in  these  and  similar  cases,  by  general 
rules,  and  not  by  the  exceptions.  The  general 
rule,  in  the  present  case,  is,  that  mothers  can  nurse 
their  own  children  ;  and,  if  they  have  the  proper 
disposition,  that  they  can  do  it  uninterruptedly. 


118 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Nursing  does  not  weaken  the  mother.       Why  it  does  not. 

But  those  who  are  so  ready  to  become  counsel- 
lors on  these  occasions  will  tell  us,  perhaps,  that 
the  child  must  be  "fed  to  spare  the  mother."- 
That  is  to  say,  nursing  weakens  the  mother,  and 
the  child  must  be  taken  away,  a  part  of  the  time, 
to  save  her  strength. 

Now  it  may  safely  be  doubted  whether  the  pro- 
cess of  nursing,  in  itself  considered,  does  weaken, 
at  all.  The  Author  of  nature  has  made  provision 
for  the  secretion  (formation)  of  the  milk,  whether 
the  child  receives  it  or  not.  If  it  is  not  taken  by 
the  child,  or  drawn  off  in  some  other  way,  one  6f 
two  things  must  follow  ; — either  it  must  be  taken 
up  by  what  are  called  absorbent  vessels,  and  car- 
ried into  the  circulation,  and  chiefly  thrown  out 
of  the  system  as  waste  matter,  or  it  will  prove  a 
source  of  irritation,  if  not  of  inflammation,  to  the 
organs  themselves  which  secrete  it*  In  both  cases, 
the  strength  of  the  mother  is  quite  as  likely  to  be 
taxed,  as  if  the  child  received  the  milk  in  the  way 
that  nature  intended. 

Besides,  on  this  very  principle,  the  plan  of 
saving  a  mother's  strength  by  requiring  another  to 
nurse  for  her,  is  but  saying  that  we  will  weaken 
one  person  to  save  another.  Or  if  we  feed  the 
child  to  "spare  its  mother,"  what  is  this,  in  prac- 
tice, but  to  say  that  the  wTorks  of  the  Creator  are 


FOOD. 


119 


Nursing-  children  under  six  months.  The  first  rule. 

very  imperfect ;  and  that  he  has  thrown  upon  the 
mass  of  mankind  a  task  to  which  they  are  not 
equal  ?  For  the  mass  of  mankind  are  poor ;  and 
the  poor,  having  neither  the  means  nor  the  time 
to  escape  the  duties  in  question,  must  submit  to 
them,  while  their  more  wealthy  neighbors  escape. 

But  it  is  idle  to  defend  customs  so  monstrous. 
They  admit  of  no  defence  that  has  the  slightest 
claim  to  solidity.  The  general  rule  then  is,  that 
mothers  should  nurse  their  own  children.  I  will 
now  proceed  to  a  few  particulars. 

Sec.  2.    Nursing — how  often. 

Many  lay  it  down,  as  an  invariable  rule,  that  no 
system  can  be  pursued  with  a  child,  till  it  is  six 
months  old  ;  and  it  must  be  admitted  by  all,  that 
for  several  months  after  birth,  there  are  serious  dif- 
ficulties in  the  way  of  determining,  with  any  degree 
of  precision,  how  often  a  child  should  be  nursed  or 
fed.  Still  there  are  a  few  rules  of  universal  appli- 
cation, some  of  which  are  here  presented. 

1.  A  child  should  never  be  nursed,  merely  to 
quiet  it ;  for  if  this  be  done,  it  will  soon  learn  to 
cry,  whenever  it  feels  the  slightest  uneasiness,  not 
only  from  hunger,  but  from  other  causes ;  merely 
to  be  gratified  with  nursing.    Besides,  if  its  cries 


120  THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 

Second  and  third  rules.  A  very  common  mistake. 

should  happen  to  be  from  illness,  it  is  ten  to  one 
but  the  reception  of  anything  into  the  stomach  will 
do  harm  instead  of  good. 

2.  The  stomach,  like  every  other  organ  in  the 
body  which  is  muscular,  must  have  time  for  rest ; 
and  this  in  the  case  of  children,  as  well  as  adults. 
But  to  nurse  them  too  frequently  is  in  opposition 
to  this  rule,  and  therefore  of  evil  tendency. 

3.  For  reasons  which  may  be  seen  by  the  last 
rule,  there  should  be  regular  seasons  for  nursing, 
and  these  should  be  adhered  to,  especially  by  night. 
When  very  young,  once  in  three  hours  may  not  be 
too  frequent :  I  believe  that  it  is  seldom  proper 
to  nurse  a  child  more  frequently  than  this.  But 
whenever  three  hours  becomes  a  suitable  period 
by  day,  once  in  four  hours  will  be  often  enough  by 
night.  I  will  not  undertake  to  say  at  what  precise 
age  children  should  be  nursed  at  intervals  of  three 
and  four  hours  each  ;  because  some  children  are 
older,  constitutionally,  at  three  months,  than  others 
are  at  four. 

There  is  one  grand  mistake,  however,  against 
which  I  must  caution  young  mothers ;  which  is, 
not  to  indulge  the  vain  expectation  that  feeble  in- 
fants will  become  robust,  in  proportion  to  their 
indulgence.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  the  more  neces- 
sary to  be  strict  with  feeble  children,  became  they 


FOOD. 


121 


Fourth  rule.       Dr.  Dunglison's  opinion.       Errors  in  feeding-. 

are  feeble.  To  keep  them  hanging  at  the  breast 
to  invigorate  them,  is  the  very  way  to  counteract 
our  own  intentions,  and  defeat  our  own  purpose. 
Seasons  of  entire  rest  are  even  more  important  to 
their  stomachs  than  to  those  of  other  persons. 

4.  But  in  order  to  secure  intervals  of  rest,  both 
to  the  strong  and  the  feeble,  we  must  avoid  the 
pernicious  habit  of  giving  infants  pap,  and  other 
delicacies,  "between  meals."  Many  a  child's 
health  is  ruined  by  this  practice.  Nothing  should 
be  put  into  their  stomachs  for  many  months — if 
they  are  in  health — but  the  mother's  milk. 

"  This,"  says  Dr.  Dunglison,  "  is  the  sole  food 
of  the  infant,  and  is  consequently  sufficiently  nu- 
tritient  to  maintain  life,  and  to  minister  to  the 
growth,  during  the  earliest  periods  of  existence."  * 
In  another  place  he  says — "  Milk  is  an  appropriate 
nourishment  at  all  ages,  and  is  more  so  the  nearer 
to  birth." 

Sec.  3.    Quantity  of  Food. 

"We  all  know,"  says  Dr.  Dewees,  "how  easily 
the  stomach  may  be  made  to  demand  more  food 
than  is  absolutely  required ;  first,  by  the  repetition 


*  Elements  of  Hygiene,  page  271. 


122 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Children  over-fed.     A  common  mistake.     Leads  to  gluttony. 

of  aliment,  and  secondly,  by  variety; — therefore 
both  of  these  causes  must  be  avoided.  The  stom- 
ach, like  every  other  part,  can,  and  unfortunately 
does,  acquire  habits  highly  injurious  to  itself ;  and 
that  of  demanding  an  unnecessary  quantity  of  ali- 
ment is  not  one  of  the  least.  It  should,  therefore, 
be  constantly  borne  in  mind,  that  it  is  not  the 
quantity  of  food  taken  into  the  stomach,  that  is 
available  to  the  proper  purposes  of  the  system, 
but  the  quantity  which  can  be  digested,  and  con- 
verted into  nourishment  fit  to  be  applied  to  such 
purposes." 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  truth  in  these  remarks  ; 
and  especially  in  the  closing  one,  that  not  all  which 
is  taken  into  the  stomach  is  digested.  It  is  highly 
probable  that  the  least  quantity  which  is  usually 
given  to  an  infant,  is  more  than  sufficient  for  the 
purposes  of  digestion  ;  and  that  nearly  every  child 
in  the  arms  of  its  mother,  is  over-fed. 

I  know  it  has  been  said,  by  some  physicians — 
and  by  those  who  are  sensible  men,  too,  in  other 
respects — that  the  child's  stomach  is  a  pretty 
correct  guide  in  regard  to  quantity.  If  we  give  it 
too  much,  say  they,  it  will  reject  it ; — as  if  that 
were  an  end  of  the  matter. 

But  it  is  not  so.  It  is  by  no  means  harmless  to 
fill  the  child's  stomach  as  full  as  is  possible  without 


FOOD. 


123 


Stomach  may  be  educated.       Illustrations.  Inference. 

overflowing.  Such  a  process,  though  it  should  not 
create  disease  directly,  would  produce  a  glutton- 
ous habit.  The  stomach,  being  muscular,  may  be 
increased  in  size  by  use,  like  all  other  muscular 
organs.  The  hands,  the  arms,  the  legs>  the  feet, 
the  fleshy  portions  of  the  face  even,  may  be  dis- 
proportionally  enlarged  by  constant  use.  Thus  a 
sailor,  who  uses  his  hands  and  arms  much  more 
than  his  legs  and  feet,  has  the  former  unusually 
large ;  one  who  is  much  accustomed  to  walking, 
has  large  feet ;  and  in  a  tailor  who,  from  childhood, 
uses  his  lower  limbs  comparatively  little,  they  are 
both  small  and  slender.  On  the  same  principle, 
the  stomach,  by  inordinate  use,  and  by  carrying 
unreasonable  loads,  may  be  made  nearly  twice  as 
large  as  nature  intended,  and  may  demand  twice 
as  much  food.  And  I  have  no  doubt  that  the 
bulk  of  mankind,  young  and  old,  eat  about  twice 
as  much  as  nature,  unperverted,  would  require. 

If  the  suggestions  of  our  last  section  are  duly 
attended  to,  one  of  the  causes  which  lead  the 
stomach  to  demand  an  unreasonable  quantity  of 
food,  will  be  avoided — I  mean  the  too  frequent 
"  repetition  of  aliment."  And  if  we  never  depart 
from  the  general  rule,  already  laid  down,  not  to 
give  the  infant  anything  but  its  mother's  milk,  we 
shall  escape  the  evils  incident  to  variety. 


124 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


First  change  in  diet.       Mistakes.       Ignorance  of  digestion. 


Sec.  4.   How  long  should  Milk  he  the  only  Food. 

On  this  point  there  is  a  great  diversity  of  opin- 
ion. Perhaps  the  most  approved  rule,  of  universal 
application,  is,  that  the  first  change  should  be  made 
in  the  child's  diet  when  the  teeth  begin  to  appear. 
This  period,  it  is  well  known,  cannot  be  fixed  to 
any  particular  age,  but  varies  from  the  fifth  to  the 
twelfth  month. 

Some  mothers  who  have  borne  wTith  me  patiently 
to  this  place,  will  probably  here  object.  "  What 
child,75  they  will  ask,  "  would  ever  have  any 
strength,  brought  up  so?"  Not  only  a  little  pap 
and  gruel  is,  in  their  estimation,  necessary,  long  be- 
fore this  period,  but  even  many  choice  bits  of  meat. 

Now  1  am  very  sure,  that  these  choice  bits — 
whatever  they  may  be — given  to  a  child  before  it 
has  teeth,  not  only  do  no  good,  but  actually  do 
mischief.  Indeed,  that  which  does  no  good  in  the 
stomach,  must  do  harm,  of  course ;  since  it  is  not 
only  in  the  way,  but  acts  like  a  foreign  body  there, 
producing  more  or  less  of  irritation. 

I  ought  to  state,  in  this  place,  that  many  people 
— mothers  among  the  rest — have  very  inadequate 
ideas  of  digestion.  They  appear  to  have  no  far- 
ther notion  of  the  digestive  process,  than  that  it 
consists  in  reducing  to  a  pulp  the  substances  which 


FOOD. 


125 


Not  a  mere  dissolving  of  the  food.  Explanations. 

are  swallowed ;  and  hence,  whatever  is  reduced  to 
a  pulp,  they  regard  as  being  digested.  Whereas 
nothing  is  better  known  to  the  anatomist  and 
physiologist,  than  that  this — the  formation  of  chyme 
in  the  stomach — constitutes  only  a  very  small  part 
of  the  digestive  process.  The  chyme  must  pass 
into  the  duodenum,  and  other  portions  of  intestine 
beyond  the  stomach,  and  be  retained  there  for  some 
time,  before  it  will  form  perfect  chyle. 

This  is  a  more  important  part  of  the  work  of 
digestion  than  even  the  former.  For,  suppose 
the  chyme  to  be  perfect,  though  even  this  may  be 
mere  pulp,  rather  than  chyme,  and  suppose  it  pass 
quietly  along  into  the  duodenum  and  other  small 
intestines.  All  this  process,  thus  far,  may  go  on 
naturally  enough,  and  yet  the  chyle  may  not  be 
well  formed,  and  the  chymous  mass  may  find  its 
way  out  of  the  system  without  answering  any  of 
the  purposes  of  nutrition.  For  no  matter  how 
well  the  food  is  dissolved  in  the  stomach,  if  it  do 
not  become  good  and  proper  chyle,  the  blood  which 
is  formed  will  not  be  good  and  perfect  blood  ;  or, 
lastly,  if  it  seem  to  make  good  blood,  it  may  still 
be  faulty,  so  that  the  particles  which  should  be 
applied  to  build  up  or  repair  the  system,  are  either 
not  used,  or  if  used,  answer  the  purpose  but  im- 
perfectly. 


126  THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


The  general  rule.      Exceptions.      First  exception  illustrated. 

We  hence  see  how  little  prepared  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  community  are,  to  judge  of  the 
digestibility  or  fitness  of  a  substance  for  infants,  by 
their  own  observation  and  experience  merely;  and 
how  much  more  wisely  they  act,  in  contenting 
themselves  with  giving  them — at  least  until  they 
have  teeth — such  food  only  as  the  Author  of  nature 
seems  to  have  assigned  them  ;  especially  when  this 
course  is  precisely  that  which  is  recommended  or 
sanctioned  by  nearly  every  judicious  physician,  as 
well  as  by  almost  all  our  writers  on  health. 

Sec.  5.    On  Feeding  before  Teething. 

Having  laid  down  the  general  rule,  that  until 
the  appearance  of  teeth,  the  sole  food  of  an  infant 
should  be  the  milk  of  its  own  mother,  I  proceed 
to  speak  of  some  of  the  more  common  exceptions 
to  it. 

Exception  1. — The  first  of  these  is  when  the 
supply  furnished  by  the  mother  is  scanty.  There 
may  be  two  causes  of  the  scantiness  of  such  sup- 
ply : — 1.  The  want  of  suitable  nourishment  by  the 
mother ;  and  2.  A  feeble  constitution,  or  bad 
health.  In  the  former  case,  it  should  be  her  first 
object,  as  it  undoubtedly  will  be  that  of  her  physi- 


FOOD. 


127 


Substitute  for  nature's  food.  Dr.  Dewees,  again. 

cian,  to  improve  the  quality  of  her  diet ;  and  in  the 
latter,  to  restore  her  health,  or  at  least  invigorate 
her  constitution. 

In  regard  to  the  proper  diet  of  a  mother,  as 
such,  as  well  as  the  general  management  which  her 
case  requires,  a  volume  might  be  written  without 
exhausting  the  subject.  So  much  is  required, 
that  it  would  at  least  be  out  of  place  to  attempt 
anything  here. 

But  we  cannot  wait  for  the  mother's  health  to 
improve,  and  allow  the  infant  to  suffer,  in  the  mean 
time,  for  a  due  supply  of  food.  The  appropriate 
question  now  is — How  shall  such  a  supply  be  fur* 
nished  ? 

This  should  be  done  by  means  of  an  article  re- 
sembling, in  its  properties,  as  closely  as  possible, 
the  mother's  milk.  For  this  purpose,  we  have 
only  to  mix  with  a  suitable  quantity  of  new  cow's 
milk  one  third  of  water,  and  sweeten  it  a  little 
with  loaf  sugar.  This  is  to  be  given  to  the  child, 
at  suitable  intervals,  and  in  proper  quantities,  by 
means  of  a  common  sucking  bottle.  It  is,  indeed, 
sometimes  given  with  the  spoon  ;  but  the  bottle  is 
better. 

To  the  question,  whether  the  child  should  be 
confined  to  this  till  the  period  of  weaning,  Dr» 
Dewees  answers,  No.    I  am  surprised  at  this  ; 


128 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Variety  of  infants'  food  considered.     Milk  from  the  same  cow. 

and  my  surprise  is  increased,  when  I  find  him, 
almost  in  the  very  next  breath,  urging  with  all  his 
might,  numerous  reasons  against  the  very  common 
notion,  that  children  in  early  life  require  a  variety 
of  food.  He  even  insists  on  the  importance  of 
confining  the  child  to  a  single  article  of  food  when 
it  is  practicable.  Yet  he  has  not  given  us  so  much 
as  one  reason  why  it  is  not  practicable  in  the  case 
before  us  ;  but  has  gone  on  to  speak  of  barley 
wrater,  gum  arabic  water,  rice  water,  arrowroot, 
&c.  I  venture,  therefore,  to  dissent  from  him,  and 
to  answer  the  foregoing  question  in  the  affirmative. 
When  one  good  and  substantial  reason  can  be 
given  for  change,  I  will,  however,  re-consider  the 
decision. 

I  have  already  stated  the  general  rule  for  pre- 
paring this  substitute  for  the  mother's  milk.  But 
there  are  several  minor  directions,  which  may  be 
useful  to  those  who  are  wholly  without  experience 
on  the  subject. 

If  possible,  the  milk  used  should  not  only  be  just 
taken  from  the  cow,  but  should  always  be  from  the 
same  cow ;  for  it  is  well  known  that  the  quality  of 
milk  often  differs  very  materially,  even  among  cows 
feeding  in  the  same  pasture,  or  from  the  same  pile 
of  hay ;  and  the  stomach  becomes  most  easily  recon- 
ciled to  the  mixture  when  it  is  uniform  in  its  quali- 


FOOD. 


129 


Cleanliness.       Freezing.      Acidity.      Disgusting-  practices. 

ties.  Great  care  should  also  be  taken  to  see  that 
the  cow  whose  milk  is  used  is  young  and  healthy. 

The  mixture  should  not  be  prepared  any  faster 
than  it  is  wanted  ;  and  should  always  be  prepared 
in  vessels  perfectly  clean  and  sweet,  and  given  as 
soon  as  possible  after  it  is  prepared,  to  prevent 
any  degree  of  fermentation.  It  is  never  so  well 
to  heat  it  by  the  fire.  If  taken  from  the  cow  just 
before  it  is  used,  and  if  the  water  to  be  added  is 
warm  enough,  the  temperature  will  hardly  need 
to  be  raised  any  higher. 

When  it  is  impracticable,  in  all  cases,  to  take 
milk  for  this  purpose  immediately  from  the  cow,  it 
should  be  kept,  in  winter,  where  it  will  not  freeze, 
and  in  summer,  where  there  will  be  no  tendency 
to  acidity. 

Some  mothers  and  nurses  are  addicted  to  the 
practice  of  passing  the  food  through  their  own 
mouths,  before  they  give  it  to  the  child;  with  a 
view,  no  doubt,  to  see  that  it  is  at  a  proper  tem- 
perature. This  practice  is  not  only  wholly  unne- 
cessary, but  altogether  disgusting,  and  even  ridicu- 
lous. A  thermometer  would  answer  every  purpose, 
and  save  even  the  trouble  of  another  disgusting 
practice — that  of  blowing  it  with  the  breath. 

The  most  proper  season  for  giving  the  child  this 
preparation,  is  immediately  after  it  has  been  nurs- 
9 


130 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Pure  water.  Sugar.  Is  sugar  hurtful  ? 

ing.  It  is  better  for  both  mother  and  child,  that 
the  latter  should  nurse  just  as  often  as  though  the 
supply  of  food  was  adequate  to  his  wants.  And 
when  his  first  supply  is  exhausted,  then  let  him 
make  up  his  meal  from  the  sucking  bottle.  The 
great  advantage  of  this  pkn  is,  that  he  will  not 
be  so  likely  in  this  way  to  be  over-fed.  If  he  is 
really  needy,  he  will  accept  the  bottle,  even  if  he 
do  not  like  it  quite  so  well ;  if  he  refuse  it,  let  him 
go  without  till  he  is  hungry  enough  to  receive  it. 

In  regard  to  the  water  used  in  the  preparation, 
only  one  thing  need  be  said  ;  which  is,  that  it 
should  be  pure.  If  it  is  not,  it  should  by  all 
means  be  boiled.  The  sugar  used  should  be  of  the 
very  best  kind ;  and  the  quantity  not  large;  since 
if  the  preparation  be  too  sweet,  it  readily  becomes 
acid  in  the  stomach. 

There  has  been,  and  still  is,  a  controversy  going 
on  among  medical  men,  whether  sugar  is  or  is  not 
hurtful  to  the  young.  "  Who  shall  decide,  when 
doctors  disagree?"  has  often  been  asked.  With- 
out undertaking  the  task  myself,  I  may  perhaps 
be  permitted  to  say,  that  I  cannot  see  any  reason 
why  a  substance  so  pure,  and  so  highly  nutritious 
as  sugar— if  given  in  very  small  quantity  only — 
should  prove  injurious  :  though  I  do  not  regard 
the  reasoning  of  Dr.  Dewees  as  very"  conclusive 


FOOD. 


131 

I 


Cases  in  which  a  mother  should  not  nurse  her  own  child. 

on  this  subject,  when,  in  reply  to  Dr.  Cadogan, 
he  uses  the  following  language — "  If  sugar  be  im- 
proper, why  does  it  so  largely  enter  into  the  com- 
position of  the  early  food  of  all  animals.  It  is  in 
vain  that  physicians  declaim  against  this  article, 
since  it  forms  between  seven  and  eight  per  cent  of 
the  mother's  milk."  Now  with  me,  the  fact  that 
milk  and  almost  all  other  kinds  of  food  arev  fur- 
nished with  a  measure  of  this  substance,  is  the 
strongest  reason  I  am  acquainted  with  for  making 
no  additions.  I  believe,  however,  that  they  may 
sometimes  be  made,  but  not  for  these  reasons. 

Exception  2. — The  second  striking  exception 
to  the  general  rule  that  has  been  laid  down  is, 
when  the  mother  is  unable  to  nurse  her  own  child 
from  positive  ill  health,  or  when  circumstances 
exist  which  render  it  obviously  improper  that  she 
should  do  it.  The  following  are  some  of  the 
circumstances  which  render  such  a  departure  from 
nature  indispensable  : 

1.  When  the  mother  is  affected  strongly  with  a 
hereditary  disease,  such  as  consumption  or  scrofula; 
or  when  her  constitution  is  tainted,  as  it  were,  with 
venereal  disease,  or  other  permanent  affections. 

2.  When  nursing  produces,  uniformly,  some 
very  troublesome  or  dangerous  disease  in  the 
mother  ;  as  cough,  colic,  &c. 


132 


THE   YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Sucking  bottles.       Hired  nurses.       Feed  the  child  slowly. 

3.  There  are  a  few  instances  in  which  the  milk 
of  the  mother,  owing  to  an  unknown  cause,  has 
been  found  by  experience  to  disagree  with  the 
child.  In  these  circumstances,  it  is  the  unques- 
tionable duty  of  the  mother  to  resort  wholly  to 
feeding. 

4.  Sometimes  the  milk,  at  first  abundant,  fails 
suddenly,  owing  to  some  accidental  or  constitu- 
tional defect ;  and  this  failure  becomes  habitual. 

In  all  these  circumstances,  the  proper  resort  is 
to  a  sucking  bottle,  or  a  hired  nurse.  I  generally 
prefer  the  latter.  The  cases  which  seem  to  me 
to  admit  of  the  former,  will  be  pointed  out  in  the 
next  section. 

"  When  the  bottle  is  used,"  says  Dr.  Dewees, 
"  much  care  is  requisite  to  preserve  it  sweet  and 
free  from  all  impurities,  or  the  remains  of  the  for- 
mer food,  by  which  the  present  may  be  rendered 
impure,  or  sour  ;  for  which  purpose  a  great  deal 
of  caution  must  be  observed." 

The  business  of  feeding  a  child,  whether  by 
the  bottle  or  the  spoon,  should  never  be  hurried : 
the  slower  it  is,  the  better.  We  should  stop  from 
time  to  time,  during  the  process.  Nor  should 
the  nourishment  be  given  while  lying  down  ;  it 
is  much  more  pleasant,  as  well  as  more  safe,  to 
sit  up. 


FOOD. 


133 


Boiling  milk.  The  stomach  requires  rest. 

A  few  thoughts  more  on  the  character  and  con- 
dition of  the  milk  which  we  give  to  the  young, 
will  conclude  the  second  division  of  this  section. 

Some  are  fond  of  boiling  milk  for  infants ;  but 
to  this  I  am  decidedly  opposed,  so  long  as  they 
are  in  health.  Boiling  takes  away,  or  appears  to 
take  away,  some  of  the  best  properties  of  the  milk. 

It  is  true  that  milk  which  is  boiled  does  not 
turn  sour  so  readily  in  hot  weather ;  but  it  is  quite 
unnecessary  to  boil  milk  in  the  common  manner, 
in  order  to  prevent  its  changing,  since  such  a  re- 
sult can  be  prevented  by  another  process.  You 
have  only  to  put  your  milk  in  a  kettle,  cover  it 
closely,  and  heat  it  quickly  to  the  boiling  point, 
and  then  remove  and  cool  it  as  speedily  as  possi- 
ble. This  plan  prevents  the  rising  to  the  surface 
of  that  coat  or  pellicle  which  contains  some  of  the 
most  valuable  properties  of  the  milk. 

I  have  already  said  that  it  was  as  necessary  that 
the  stomach  should  have  rest  as  any  other  mus- 
cular organ.  Some  writers  say  that  the  infant 
should  be  kept  perfectly  quiet,  at  least  half  an 
hour,  after  each  meal.  This  is  certainly  necessary 
with  feeble  children,  but  I  question  its  necessity  in 
the  case  of  those  who  are  strong  and  robust.  I 
would  not  recommend,  however,  nor  even  tolerate, 
for  one  moment,  the  absurd  practice  of  jolting,  so 


134 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Jolting.         Tossing-.        Sucking  bottles  for  playthings. 

common  with  a  few  ignorant  nurses  and  mothers, 
as  if  they  could  jolt  down  the  food  in  the  stomach, 
with  just  as  much  safety  as  they  can  shake  down 
the  contents  of  a  farmer's  bag  of  produce.  Such 
mothers  as  these  should  go  and  reside  among  the 
native  tribes  of  Indians  in  Guiana,  in  South  Ame- 
rica, where  they  make  it  a  point  not  only  to  stuff 
their  children's  stomachs  as  long  as  they  will  hold, 
but  actually  to  shake  the  food  down. 

Little  less  absurd  than  jolting  is  the  custom  of 
tossing  a  child  high,  in  quick  succession,  which  is 
practised  not  only  after  meals,  but  at  other  times. 
But  on  this  point  I  have  treated  elsewhere. 

Some  give  the  sucking  bottle  to  children  as  a 
plaything.  This  is  just  about  as  wise  a  practice 
as  that  of  giving  them  books  as  playthings.  Both 
,  are  done,  usually,  to  save  the  time  and  trouble  of 
those  whose  office  it  is  to  devote  their  time  to  the 
very  purpose  of  managing  and  educating  their  off- 
spring. The  evil,  however,  of  suffering  the  child 
to  have  the  bottle  when  it  pleases  is,  that  he  will 
thus  be  tasting  food  so  often  as  to  interfere  with 
and  disturb  the  process  of  digestion,  to  his  great 
and  lasting  injury.  For  in  this  way,  a  part  of  the 
food  will  pass  from  the  stomach  into  the  bowels 
unchanged,  or  at  least  but  imperfectly  digested, 
where  it  is  liable  to  become  sour,  and  cause  dis- 


FOOD. 


135 


Dirty  vessels.         Poisonous  ones.         Nursing-  the  sick. 

ease.  It  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  many  diar- 
rhoeas, as  well  as  other  bowel  affections,  are  pro- 
duced in  this  way.  Children  that  are  always 
eating  are  seldom  healthy  ;  and  we  may  hence 
see  the  reason. 

In  speaking  of  the  importance  of  keeping  the 
bottle  from  which  a  child  takes  his  food  perfectly 
clean  and  sweet,  I  ought  to  have  extended  the 
injunction  much  farther.  There  is  a  degree  of 
slovenliness  sometimes  observable  in  those  who 
manage  children,  both  when  they  are  sick  and 
when  they  are  in  health,  which  even  common 
sense  cannot  and  ought  not  to  tolerate.  Every 
vessel  which  is  used  in  preparing  or  administer- 
ing anything  for  children,  ought,  after  we  have 
used  it,  to  be  immediately  and  effectually  cleansed. 
How  shocking  is  it  to  see  dirty  vessels  standing  in 
the  nursery  from  hour  to  hour,  becoming  sour  or 
impure  !  How  much  more  so  still,  to  see  food  in 
copper  vessels,  or  in  the  red  earthen  ones,  glazed 
with  a  poisonous  oxyd!  I  speak  now  more  par- 
ticularly of  vessels  in  which  food  is  given ;  for 
with  the  administration  of  medicine,  and  nursing 
the  sick,  I  do  not  intend  in  this  volume  to  inter- 
fere. 

Exception  3. — We  come  now  to  the  considera- 
tion of  those  cases — for  such  it  will  not  be  doubted 


136 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Character  of  nurses.  A  question  started  in  morals. 

there  are — where  a  hired  nurse  is  to  be  preferred 
to  feeding  by  the  hand. 

Be-fore  proceeding  farther,  however,  it  is  impor- 
tant to  say,  that  if  a  nurse  could  always  be  pro- 
cured whose  health,  and  temper,  and  habits  were 
good,  who  had  no  infant  of  her  own,  and  who 
would  do  as  well  for  the  infant,  in  every  respect, 
as  his  own  mother,  it  would  be  preferable  to  have 
no  feeding  by  the  hand  at  all. 

But  such  nurses  are  very  scarce.  Their  tem- 
per, or  habits,  or  general  health  will  often  be  such 
as  no  genuine  parent  would  desire,  and  such  as 
they  ought  to  be  sorry  to  see  engrafted,  in  any 
degree,  on  the  child.  For  even  admitting  what  is 
claimed  by  some,  that  the  temper  of  the  nurse 
does  not  affect  the  properties  of  the  milk,  and  thus 
injure  the  child  both  physically  and  morally,  still 
much  injury  may  and  inevitably  will  result  from 
the  influence  of  her  constant  presence  and  ex- 
ample. 

Others  have  infants  of  their  own,  in  which  case 
either  their  own  child  or  the  adopted  one  will 
suffer ;  and  in  a  majority  of  cases,  it  can  scarcely 
be  doubted  which  it  will  be.  And  I  doubt  the 
morality  of  requiring  a  nurse,  in  these  cases,  to 
give  up  her  own  child  wholly.  If  one  must  be 
fed,  why  not  our  own,  as  well  as  that  of  another  ? 


FOOD. 


137 


Several  important  rules.  Oversight  of  parents. 

The  only  cases,  then,  which  seem  to  me  to 
justify  the  employment  of  a  nurse,  are  where  she 
possesses  at  least  the  qualifications  above  men- 
tioned ;  and  as  these  are  rare,  not  many  nurses, 
of  course,  would  on  this  principle  be  employed. 
But  when  employed,  it  is  highly  desirable  that 
the  following  rules  should  be  observed  i 

1.  The  nurse  should  suckle  the  child  at  both 
breasts ;  otherwise  he  is  liable  to  acquire  a  degree 
of  crookedness  in  his  form.  There  is  another  evil 
wThich  sometimes  results  from  the  too  common 
neglect  of  this  rule,  which  is,  that  it  endangers  the 
deterioration  of  the  quality  of  the  milk. 

2.  The  milk  which  is  thus  substituted  for  that 
of  the  mother,  should  be  as  nearly  as  possible  of 
the  same  age  as  the  child  who  is  to  receive  it.  It 
should  be  remembered,  however,  that  the  milk  is 
not  so  good  after  the  twelfth  or  thirteenth  month, 
nor  quite  so  good  under  the  third. 

3.  When  the  parent  or  some  trusty  and  confi- 
dential friend  can,  without  the  aid  of  interested 
spies  and  emissaries,  have  an  eye  to  the  general 
treatment,  and  especially  to  the  moral  manage- 
ment, it  should  be  done ;  for  even  the  best  nurses 
may  so  differ  in  their  principles,  manners  and 
habits  from  the  parent,  that  the  latter  would  deem 


133 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Proper  age  for  weaning-.  Opinion  of  Dr.  Cullen. 

it  preferable  to  withdraw  the  child,  and  resort  at 
once  to  feeding. 

Sec.  6.    From  Teething  to  Weaning. 

This  period  will,  of  course,  be  longer  or  shorter 
according  as  the  teeth  begin  to  appear  earlier  or 
later,  and  according  to  the  time  when  it  is  thought 
proper  to  wean. 

On  few  points,  perhaps,  has  there  existed  a 
greater  diversity  of  opinion  than  in  regard  to  the 
age  most  proper  for  weaning.  The  limits  of  this 
work  do  not  permit  a  thorough  discussion  of  the 
question  ;  and  I  shall  therefore  be  very  brief  in 
my  remarks  on  the  subject. 

Dr.  Cullen,  whose  opinion  on  topics  of  this 
kind  is  certainly  entitled  to  much  respect,  thought 
that  less  than  seven,  or  more  than  eleven  months 
of  nursing  was  injurious.  Yet  in  some  countries, 
and  even  in  some  parts  of  our  own,  the  period  is 
extended  by  the  mother,  from  choice,  to  two 
years.  And  although  the  milk  is  not  so  good 
after  the  thirteenth  or  fourteenth  month,  I  have 
never  either  known  or  heard  that  any  evil  conse- 
quences followed  from  the  practice. 

It  appears  to  me  better,  therefore,  that  the 
child  should  be  nursed,  in  nearly  all  cases,  from 


FOOD. 


139 


Weaning  in  summer.  Character  of  the  first  food. 

twelve  to  fourteen  months;  and  when  there  are 
no  special  objections,  somewhat  longer.  As  the 
change,  whenever  it  is  made,  and  however  gradual 
it  may  be,  is  an  important  one,  in  its  effects  on 
the  stomach  and  bowels,  it  is  better  to  wean  a 
little  earlier  or  a  little  later,  than  to  do  so  just  at 
the  close  of  summer  or  beginning  of  autumn, 
at  which  season  bowel  complaints  are  most  com- 
mon, most  severe,  and  most  dangerous.  It  is 
sufficiently  unfortunate,  that  teething  should  com- 
mence just  at  this  period ;  but  when  we  add 
another  cause  of  irregular  action,  which  we  can 
control,  to  one  which  we  cannot,  we  act  very  un- 
wisely. 

I  have  already  observed  that  we  may  begin  to 
feed  children  when  the  teeth  •  begin  to  appear. 
By  this  is  not  meant  that  we  should  do  so  while 
the  system  is  under  the  irritation  to  which  teeth- 
ing usually,  or  at  least  often,  subjects  it.  But 
when  this  is  over,  and  a  few  teeth  have  appeared, 
it  is  usually  a  proper  time  to  commence  our  opera- 
tions. 

The  first  food  given  should  be  precisely  of  the 
kind  which  has  been  recommended  for  those  chil- 
dren who  are  fed  by  the  hand.  The  rules  and 
restrictions  by  which  we  are  to  be  guided  are  the 


140 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


A  word  to  parents.  Animal  broth  objectionable. 

same,  except  in  one  point,  which  is,  that  in  the 
case  we  are  now  considering,  the  child  should  be 
fed  between  nursing. 

Let  not  parents  be  anxious  about  their  healthy 
children  under  two  years,  who  have  a  supply  of 
good  milk  either  from  the  mother  or  from  the 
cow.  For  those  that  are  feeble,  a  physician  may 
and  ought  to  prescribe — not  medicine,  but  appro- 
priate food,  drink,  &:c. 

When  the  grinding  teeth  have  cut  through,  if 
we  have  any  doubts  in  regard  to  the  nutritive 
qualities  of  the  food  we  are  giving,  we  may  im- 
prove it  by  adding,  instead  of  the  one  third  of 
pure  water,  a  similar  quantity  of  gum  arabic  water, 
barley  water,  or  rice  water.  Some  use  a  little 
weak  animal  broth  ;  but  this  is  unnecessary,  and  I 
think,  on  the  whole,  injurious,  except  for  purposes 
strictly  medicinal. 

This  course  is  so  simple,  and  so  far  removed 
from  that  which  is  generally  adopted,  that  few 
mothers  will  probably  be  willing  to  pursue  it  with 
perseverance,  especially  when  the  teeth  appear 
very  late.  Those  who  are,  however,  will  be 
richly  rewarded,  in  the  end,  in  the  advantages 
which  will  accrue  to  the  child's  health,  and  the 
vigor  it  will  ensure  to  his  constitution. 


FOOD. 


141 


Season  of  weaning.  Not  to  wean  too  suddenly. 


Sec.  7.    During  the  process  of  Weaning, 

It  has  already  been  shown  that,  in  weaning, 
some  regard  should  be  had  to  the  season  of  the 
year ;  and  that  the  end  of  summer  and  beginning 
of  fall  are,  of  all  periods,  the  most  unfavorable. 
The  best  time,  on  every  account,  is  in  the  spring 
— in  March,  April,  May  or  June  ;  and  the  next 
best  is  during  the  months  of  October  and  Novem- 
ber. But  December,  January  and  February  are 
better  than  July,  August  and  September. 

Weaning  should  never  be  sudden.  We  may 
safely  and  properly  call  upon  those  who  are  ad- 
dicted to  snuff  or  opium  taking,  tobacco  chewing, 
rum  drinking,  and  other  habits  which  are  purely 
artificial,  to  break  off — to  wean  themselves— sud- 
denly ;  since  they  can  do  so  with  considerable 
safety,  and  will  seldom  have  the  courage  or  the 
perseverance  to  do  it  otherwise.  But  with  the 
child,  in  regard  to  his  food,  such  a  course  will  not 
be  advisable.  If  we  regard  his  future  health  or 
happiness,  he  must  be  weaned  gradually. 

The  first  proper  step  will  be,  to  give  the  child  a 
little  larger  quantity  of  the  cow's  milk  and  gum 
arabic  mixture,  between  nursings,  at  the  same  time 
increasing  very  gradually  the  intervals  of  nursing. 
When  the  intervals  become  six  hours  distant  from 


142 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Exciting-  the  child's  aversion.        Food  which  is  too  solid. 

each  other,  it  will  be  best  to  add  a  little  good 
bread  to  the  milk  with  which  he  is  fed,  about  two 
or  three  times  a  day.  Arrowroot  jelly,  if  he  can 
be  made  to  relish  it,  will  be  highly  useful  ;  but  if 
not,  some  boiled  rice,  into  which  a  little  arrowroot 
has  been  sprinkled  while  boiling,  may  be  added  to 
his  milk. 

It  may  be  worth  the  attempt,  to  excite  an  aver- 
sion in  the  child  to  nursing  his  mother,  so  that  he 
will  refuse  to  nurse,  if  possible,  of  his  own  accord. 
This  aversion  may  be  excited  by  such  an  applica- 
tion of  aloes,  or  some  other  offensive  substance,  as 
will  cause  him  to  withdraw  himself  from  the  breast 
as  soon  as  he  tastes  it. 

A  serious  mistake  is  often  made,  in  connection 
with  weaning,  not  only  in  giving  the  child  too 
much  food,  but  that  which  is  too  solid,  or  too  rich. 
This  mistake  has  undoubtedly  grown  out  of  the 
belief  that  his  feeble  condition  requires  it ;  whereas 
the  truth  is,  that  he  neither  needs  such  food  at  this 
period,  nor  is  capable  of  digesting  it.  For  let  us 
be  as  judicious  in  the  process  of  wreaning  as  we 
may,  the  tone  of  the  child's  stomach  will  be  some- 
what reduced,  or  in  other  words,  its  powers  of 
digestion  will  be  weakened  by  it ;  and  to  give  it 
strong  food,  or  to  overload  it  with  that  which  is 
weaker,  is  not  only  unreasonable  and  unphilosophi- 


FOOD. 


143 


Changes  of  the  child's  food.  Buchaivs  opinion. 

cal,  but  cruel.  And  if  there  should  be  a  ten- 
dency in  the  child's  constitution  to  scrofula,  rick- 
ets, consumption,  and  other  wasting  diseases,  such 
a  course  would  be  likely  to  bring  them  on,  and 
destroy  life. 

"When  milk  will  agree,"  says  Dr.  Dewees, 
"there  is  no  food  so  proper.  It  may  be  employed 
in  any  of  its  combinations,  with  good  wheaten 
bread,  rice,  sago,  &c,  only  remembering  that 
when  either  of  these  articles  is  found  to  agree,  it 
should  be  continued  perse  veringly,  until  it  may 
become  offensive.  In  this  case,  some  new  com- 
bination may  be  required."  I  do  not  see  the 
necessity  of  continuing  one  kind  of  food  till  it 
offends.  Besides,  I  do  not  believe  that  these 
simple  articles  of  food  are  apt  to  wear  out,  in 
stomachs  that  have  not  already  been  spoiled. 
But  whether  a  single  dish  should  or  should  not 
come  to  be  offensive,  I  greatly  prefer  an  occasional 
change. 

Buchan,  in  his  Advice  to  Mothers,  has  recom- 
mended it  to  them  to  boil  bread  for  their  infants, 
in  water.  It  should  not,  for  this  purpose — nor 
indeed  for  any  other — be  new ;  it  is  best  at  one 
or  two  days  old.  It  may  be  boiled  in  a  small 
quantity  of  water,  or  what  is  still  better,  of  milk ; 


144 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Preparations  of  gum  arabic,  &c.  Health  of  the  mother. 

or  it  may  be  steamed  till  it  becomes  soft  and  light, 
almost  like  new  bread,  but  without  any  of  the 
objectionable  properties  of  that  which  is  wholly 
new.  To  bread,  thus  prepared,  is  to  be  added  a 
suitable  quantity  of  milk,  fresh  from  the  cow,  and 
a  little  diluted  with  water,  but  not  boiled. 

But  as  there  may  be,  here  and  there,  at  any 
age,  a  stomach  with  which  milk,  with  bread,  or 
rice,  or  sago,  will  not  agree — though  I  think  they 
must  be  very  rare  cases — we  may  be  allowed  to 
substitute  for  it  a  solution  of  "  gum  arabic,  in  the 
proportion  of  an  ounce  to  a  pint  of  water,"  to 
which  may  be  added  a  little  sugar  ;  and  if  the 
child  is  old  enough  to  observe  the  color,  just  milk 
enough  to  change  the  appearance.  Another  pre- 
paration for  the  same  purpose  consists  of  rennet 
whey,  a  little  sweetened,  and  "  disguised,  if  neces- 
sary, as  just  stated." 

The  health  of  the  mother,  too,  during  the 
period  of  weaning,  often  needs  great  attention  ; 
but  it  would  be  foreign  to  my  present  purpose  to 
give  any  specific  directions  on  that  point,  other 
than  to  say — Avoid  medicine,  if  possible.  A  due 
regard  to  food,  drink,  exercise  and  rest  of  body 
and  mind,  &c,  will  usually  be  found  more  effec- 
tive, as  well  as  more  permanently  efficacious. 


FOOD. 


145 


Dr.  Cadogan's  views.  Great  mortality  of  children. 


Sec.  S.    Food  subsequently  to  Weaning. 

You  will  allow  me  to  introduce,  in  this  place, 
some  of  the  sentiments  of  Dr.  Cadogan,  an  English 
physician,  from  a  little  work  on  the  management 
of  children.*  I  do  it  with  the  more  pleasure, 
because,  though  he  wrote  almost  a  century  ago, 
he  urges  the  same  general  principles  on  which  I 
have  all  along  been  insisting  :  hence  it  will  be 
seen  that  mine  are  no  new-fangled  notions.  His 
remarks  refer  to  the  young  of  every  age,  but 
chiefly  early  infancy  and  childhood.  It  will  be 
found  necessary,  in  some  instances,  to  abridge,  but 
I  shall  endeavor  not  to  misrepresent  the  Doctor's 
views. 

"  Look  over  the  bills  of  mortality.  About  half 
of  those  who  fill  up  that  black  list,  die  under  five 
years  of  age  ;  so  that  half  the  people  that  come 
into  the  world,  go  out  of  it  again,  before  they  be- 
come of  the  least  use  to  it  or  to  themselves. 


*  Though  Dr.  C.'s  remarks  will  apply  more  closely  to 
England  in  1750,  they  are  by  no  means  inapplicable  to 
the  United  States  in  1836. 
10 


146 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Infants  naturally  healthy.  Advantages  of  poverty. 

"  It  is  ridiculous  to  charge  it  upon  nature,  and 
to  suppose  that  infants  are  more  subject  to  disease 
and  death  than  grown  persons  :  on  the  contrary, 
they  bear  pain  and  disease  much  better — fevers 
especially ;  and  for  the  same  reason  that  a  twig  is 
less  hurt  by  a  storm  than  an  oak. 

"  In  all  the  other  productions  of  nature,  we  see 
the  greatest  vigor  and  luxuriancy  of  health,  the 
nearer  they  are  to  the  egg  or  bud.  When  was 
there  a  lamb,  a  bird,  or  a  tree,  that  died  because 
it  v/as  young  ?  These  are  under  the  immediate 
nursing  of  unerring  nature  ;  and  they  thrive  ac- 
cordingly. 

"  Ought  it  not,  therefore,  to  be  the  care  of  every 
nurse  and  every  parent,  not  only  to  protect  their 
nurslings  from  injury,  but  to  be  well  assured  that 
their  own  officious  services  be  not  the  greatest 
evils  the  helpless  creatures  can  suffer  ? 

"  In  the  lower  class  of  mankind,  especially  in 
the  country,  disease  and  mortality  are  not  so 
frequent,  either  among  adults  or  their  children. 
Health  and  posterity  are  the  portion  of  the  poor — 
I  mean  the  laborious.  The  want  of  superfluity 
confines  them  more  within  the  limits  of  nature  ; 
hence  they  enjoy  the  blessings  they  feel  not,  and 
are  ignorant  of  their  cause. 


FOOD. 


147 


Causes  of  infantile  disease.  Swaddling-  and  cramming. 

"  In  the  course  of  my  practice,  I  have  had 
frequent  occasion  to  be  fully  satisfied  of  this  ;  and 
have  often  heard  a  mother  anxiously  say,  'the 
child  has  not  been  well  ever  since  it  has  done 
puking  and  crying.' 

".These  complaints,  though  not  attended  to, 
point  very  plainly  to  the  cause.  Is  it  not  very 
evident,  that  when  a  child  rids  its  stomach  of  its 
contents  several  times  a  day,  it  has  been  over- 
loaded? While  the  natural  strength  lasts,  (for 
every  child  is  born  with  more  health  and  strength 
than  is  generally  imagined,)  it  cries  at  or  rejects 
the  superfluous  load,  and  thrives  apace;  that  is, 
grows  very  fat,  bloated,  and  distended  beyond 
measure,  like  a  house  lamb. 

"  But  in  time,  the  same  oppressive  cause  con- 
tinuing, the  natural  powers  are  overcome,  being 
no  longer  able  to  throw  off  the  unequal  weight. 
The  child,  now  unable  to  cry  any  more,  languishes 
and  is  quiet. 

"  The  misfortune  is,  that  these  complaints  are 
not  understood.  The  child  is  swaddled  and 
crammed  on,  till,  after  gripes,  purging,  fcc,  it 
sinks  under  both  burdens  into  a  convulsion  fit,  and 
escapes  farther  torture.  This  would  be  the  case 
with  the  lamb,  were  it  not  killed,  when  full  fat. 


148 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Over-clothing  and  over-feeding.  Better  to  follow  nature. 

"  That  the  present  mode  of  nursing  is  wrong, 
one  would  think  needed  no  other  proof  than  the 
frequent  miscarriages  attending  it,  the  death  of 
many,  and  the  ill  health  of  those  that  survive. 
But  what  I  am  going  to  complain  of  is,  that  chil- 
dren, in  general,  are  over-clothed  and  over-fed, 
and  fed  and  clothed  improperly.  To  these  causes 
I  attribute  almost  all  their  diseases. 

"But  the  feeding  of  children  is  much  more 
important  to  them  than  their  clothing.  Let  us 
consider  what  nature  directs  in  the  case.  If  we 
follow  nature,  instead  of  leading  or  driving  her, 
we  cannot  err.  In  the  business  of  nursing,  as 
well  as  physic,  art,  if  it  do  not  exactly  copy  this 
original,  is  ever  destructive. 

"  If  I  could  prevail,  no  child  should  ever  be 
crammed  with  any  unnatural  mixture,  till  the  pro- 
vision of  nature  was  ready  for  it ;  nor  afterwards 
fed  with  any  ungenial  diet  whatever,  at  least  for 
the  first  three  months ;  for  it  is  not  well  able  to 
digest  and  assimilate  other  elements  sooner. 

"  I  have  seen  very  healthy  children  that  never 
ate  or  drank  anything  whatever  but  their  mother's 
milk,  for  the  first  ten  or  twelve  months.  Nature 
seems  to  direct  to  this,  by  giving  them  no  teeth 
till  about  that  time.    The  call  of  nature  should 


FOOD. 


149 


How  many  children  are  made  sick.         A  common  error. 

be  waited  for  to  feed  them  with  anything  more 
substantial;  and  the  appetite  ought  ever  to  pre- 
cede the  food — not  only  with  regard  to  the  daily 
meals,  but  those  changes  of  diet  which  opening, 
increasing  life  requires.  But  this  is  never  done,  in 
either  case  ;  which  is  one  of  the  greatest  mistakes 
of  all  nurses. 

"  When  the  child  requires  more  solid  suste- 
nance, we  are  to  inquire  what  and  how  much  is 
most  proper  to  give  it.  We  may  be  well  assured 
there  is  a  great  mistake  either  in  the  quantity  or 
quality  of  children's  food,  or  both,  as  it  is  usually 
given  them,  because  they  are  made  sick  by  it ; 
for  to  this  mistake  I  cannot  help  imputing  nine  in 
ten  of  all  their  diseases. 

"  As  to  quantity,  there  is  a  most  ridiculous 
error  in  the  common  practice ;  for  it  is  generally 
supposed  that  whenever  a  child  cries,  it  wants 
victuals :  it  is  accordingly  fed  ten  or  twelve  or 
more  times  in  a  day  and  night.  This  is  so  ob- 
vious a  misapprehension,  that  I  am  surprised  it 
should  ever  prevail. 

"  If  a  child's  wants  and  motions  be  diligently 
and  judiciously  attended  to,  it  will  be  found  that  it 
never  cries,  but  from  pain.  Now  the  first  sensa- 
tions of  hunger  are  not  attended  with  pain ;  ac- 


150 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Food  not  simple  enough.  Of  sugar,  spices  and  wine. 

cordingly,  a  very  young  child  that  is  hungry  will 
make  a  hundred  other  signs  of  its  want,  before  it 
will  cry  for  food.  If  it  be  healthy,  and  quite  easy 
in  its  dress,  it  will  hardly  ever  cry  at  all.  Indeed, 
these  signs  and  motions  I  speak  of  are  but  rarely 
observed,  because  it  seldom  happens  that  children 
are  ever  suffered  to  be  hungry.* 

"  In  a  few,  very  few,  whom  I  have  had  the 
pleasure  to  see  reasonably  nursed,  that  were  not 
fed  above  two  or  three  times  in  twenty-four  hours, 
and  yet  were  perfectly  healthy,  active  and  happy, 
I  have  seen  these  signals,  which  were  as  intelligi- 
ble as  if  they  had  spoken. 

"There  are  many  faults  in  the  quality  of  chil- 
dren's food. 

"1.  It  is  not  simple  enough.  Their  paps, 
panadas,  gruels,  &c.  are  generally  enriched  with 
sugar,  spices  and  other  nice  things,  and  sometimes 
a  drop  of  wine  ;  none  of  which  they  ought  ever 
to  take.  Our  bodies  never  want  them ;  they  are 
what  luxury  only  has  introduced,  to  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  health  of  mankind. 


*  That  which  we  commonly  observe  in  them,  in  such 
cases,  and  call  by  the  name  of  hunger,  the  doctor,  I 
suppose,  would  regard  as  a  morbid  or  unnatural  feelings 
wholly  unworthy  of  the  name  of  hunger. 


FOOD. 


151 


Light  food.       Bread.       Milk.       Author's  opinion  of  sugar. 

"  2.  It  is  not  enough  that  their  food  should  be 
simple ;  it  should  also  be  light.  Many  people,  I 
find,  are  mistaken  in  their  notions  of  what  is  light, 
and  fancy  that  most  kinds  of  pastry,  puddings, 
custards,  &c.  are  light ;  that  is,  light  of  digestion. 
But  there  is  nothing  heavier,  in  this  sense,  than 
unfermented  flour  and  eggs,  boiled  hard,  which  are 
the  chief  ingredients  in  some  of  these  preparations. 

"  What  I  mean  by  light  food — to  give  the  best 
idea  I  can  of  it — is  any  substance  that  is  easily 
separated,  and  soluble  in  warm  water.  Good  bread 
is  the  lightest  thing  I  know,  and  the  fittest  food  for 
young  children.  Cows'  milk  is  also  simple  and 
light,  and  very  good  for  them ;  but  it  is  often  in- 
judiciously prepared.  It  should  never  be  boiled; 
for  boiling  alters  the  taste  and  properties  of  it ;  de- 
stroys it  sweetness,  and  makes  it  thicker,  heavier, 
and  less  fit  to  mix  and  assimilate  with  the  blood." 

It  is  hardly  necessary  for  me  to  repeat,  that  in 
these  general  views  of  Dr.  C,  with  a  few  ex- 
ceptions, I  entirely  concur ;  indeed  some  of  them 
have  already  been  presented.  But  I  have  ex- 
pressed my  doubts  of  the  soundness  of  his  con- 
clusion in  regard  to  sugar.  Used  with  food,  in 
very  small  quantity,  by  persons  whose  stomachs 
are  already  in  good  condition,  both  sugar  and  mo- 


152 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Simplicity.  Variety.  Injurious  preparations  of  food. 

lasses,  especially  the  former,  appear  to  me  not 
only  harmless,  but  wholesome  and  useful. 

On  the  subject  of  simplicity  in  children's  food, 
I  should  be  glad  to  enlarge.  There  is  nothing 
more  important  in  diet  than  simplicity,  and  yet  I 
think  there  is  nothing  more  rare.  To  suit  the 
fashion,  everything  must  be  mixed  and  varied. 
I  have  no  objection  to  variety  at  different  meals, 
both  for  children  and  adults ;  indeed  I  am  dis- 
posed to  recommend  it,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter. 
But  I  am  utterly  opposed  to  any  considerable 
variety  at  the  same  meal ;  and  above  all,  in  a 
single  dish.  The  simpler  a  dish  can  be,  the 
better. 

But  let  us  look,  for  a  moment,  at  the  dishes  of 
food  which  are  often  presented,  even  at  what  are 
called  plain  tables. 

Meats  cannot  be  eaten — so  many  persons  think 
— without  being  covered  with  mustard,  or  pepper, 
or  gravy — or  soaked  in  vinegar ;  and  not  a  few 
regard  them  as  insipid,  unless  several  of  these  are 
combined.  Few  people  think  a  piece  of  plain 
boiled  or  broiled  muscle  (lean  flesh,)  with  nothing 
on  it  but  a  little  salt,  is  fit  to  be  eaten.  Every- 
thing must  be  rendered  more  stimulating  or  acrid ; 
or  must  be  swimming  in  gravy,  or  melted  fat,  or 
butter. 


FOOD. 


153 


Simple  food  seldom  eaten.  Few  relish  it. 

Bread,  though  proverbially  the  staff  of  life,  can 
scarcely  be  eaten  in  its  simple  state.  It  must  be 
buttered,  or  honied,  or  toasted,  or  soaked  in  milk, 
or  dipped  in  gravy.  Puddings  must  have  cherries, 
or  fruits  of  some  sort,  or  spices  in  them,  and  must 
be  sweetened  largely.  Or  perhaps — more  ridicu- 
lous still — they  must  have  suet  in  them.  And 
after  all  this  is  done,  who  can  eat  them  without  the 
addition  of  sauce,  or  butter,  or  molasses,  or  cream  ? 
Potatoes,  boiled,  steamed  or  roasted,  delightful  as 
they  are  to  an  unp°rverted  appetite,  are  yet 
thought  by  many  people  hardly  palatable  till 
they  are  mashed,  and  buttered  or  gravied ;  or 
perhaps  soaked  in  vinegar.  In  short,  the  plainest 
and  simplest  article  for  the  table  is  deemed  nearly 
unfit  for  the  stomach,  till  it  has  been  buttered,  and 
peppered,  and  spiced,  and  perhaps  pearlashed. 
Even  bread  and  milk  must  be  filled  with  berries  or 
fruits. 

Where  can  you  find  many  adults  who  would 
relish  a  meal  which  should  consist  entirely  of  plain 
bread,  without  any  addition  ;  of  plain  potatoes, 
without  anything  on  them  except  a  little  salt ;  of 
a  plain  rice  pudding,  and  nothing  with  it;  or  of 
plain  baked  or  boiled  apples  or  pears  ?  And 
could  such  persons  be  found,  how  many  of  them 
would  bring  up  their  children  to  live  on  such  plain 
dishes  ? 


154 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Light  food.  |        Bread  the  best.  Why  bread  is  eaten. 

It  need  not  be  wondered  at,  that  a  palate  which 
has  been  so  long  tickled  by  variety,  and  by  so 
many  stimulating  mixtures  of  food,  should  come  to 
regard  cold  water  for  drink  as  insipid ;  and  should 
feel  dissatisfied  with  it,  and  desirous  of  boiling 
some  narcotic  or  poisonous  herb  in  it,  or  brewing 
it  with  something  which  will  impart  to  it  more  or 
less  of  alcohol.  The  wonder  is,  not  that  some  of 
our  epicures  become  drunkards,  but  that  all  of  them 
do  not. 

Dr.  Cadogan  alludes  to  a  sad  mistake  every- 
where made  about  light  food  ;  and  condemns,  very 
justly,  hard-boiled  custards,  pastry,  &c.  It  is 
very  strange  that  these  substances — for  these  are 
among  the  injurious  articles  which  I  call  mixtures — 
should  ever  have  obtained  currency  in  the  world, 
to  the  exclusion  of  bread,  which,  as  the  same 
writer  justly  says,  is  among  the  lightest  articles  of 
food  which  are  known. 

It  is  strange,  in  particular,  what  views  people 
have  about  bread.  Judo-ino-  from  what  I  see,  I 
am  compelled  to  believe  that  there  are  few  who 
regard  it  in  any  other  light  than  as  a  kind  of  ne- 
cessary evil.  They  appear  to  eat  it,  not  because 
they  are  fond  of  it,  by  itself,  but  because  they 
must  eat  it ;  or  rather,  because  it  is  a  fashionable 
article ;  and  not  to  make  believe  they  eat  it,  at  the 


FOOD. 


155 


Cold  bread  unfashionable.  A  great  mistake. 

least,  would  be  unfashionable.  They  will  get  rid 
of  it,  however,  when  they  can.  And  when  they 
must  eat  it,  they  soak  it,  or  cover  it  with  butter 
or  milk,  or  something  else  which  will  render  it 
tolerable — or  toast  it.  And  use  it  as  they  may, 
it  must  be  hot  from  the  oven.  After  it  is  once 
cold,  very  few  will  eat  it.  The  idea,  above  all,  of 
making  a  full  meal  of  simple  cold  bread,  twenty- 
four  hours  old,  would  be  rejected  by  ninety-nine 
persons  in  a  hundred  ;  and  by  some  with  abhor- 
rence. 

People  not  only  dislike  bread,  but  regard  it  as 
innutritious.  I  have  heard  many  a  fond  parent 
say  to  the  child  who  ate  no  meat,  and  seemed  to 
depend  almost  wholly  on  bread — "  Why,  my  dear 
child,  you  will  starve  if  you  eat  no  meat.  Do  at 
least  put  some  butter  on  your  bread  or  your  po- 
tatoes." A  thousand  times  have  I  been  admon- 
ished, when  eating  my  vegetable  dinner  during  the 
hot  and  fatiguing  days  of  summer — for  I  was  bred 
to  the  farm,  and  ate  little  or  no  meat  till  I  was 
fourteen  years  of  age — to  eat  more  butter,  or 
cheese,  or  something  that  would  give  me  strength; 
for  I  could  not  work,  they  said,  without  something 
more  nourishing  than  bread  and  the  other  vegeta- 
bles. And  yet  few  if  any  boys  of  my  age  did 
more  work,  or  performed  it  better,  or  with  more 


A 


156  THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 

Fat  hardly  digested.  Dr.  Beaumont's  experiments. 

ease,  than  myself.  And  I  early  observed  the 
same  thing  in  other  vegetable  eaters. 

The  truth  is,  there  is  nothing  in  the  world 
better  adapted  to  the  daily  wants  of  the  human 
stomach  than  good  bread  ;  and  few  things  more 
nutritious.  There  may  be  a  little  more  nutriment 
in  eggs  or  jelly  ;  ))ut  if  the  former  are  hard-boiled, 
the  stomach  cannot  digest  them  ;  and  fat  meat  of 
any  kind  is  digested  with  great  difficulty.  Indeed, 
it  is  doubtful  whether  stomachs  in  temperate  cli- 
mates digest  fat  at  all.  They  may  dissolve  it, 
but  that  is  not  making  good  chyle  of  it.  They 
may  even  reduce  it  to  chyle  ;  but  chyle  is  not 
blood.  Fat  may  slip  through  the  system  without 
much  of  it  adhering ;  and  I  think  it  pretty  evi- 
dent that  it  usually  does  so. 

The  muscle — the  lean  part  of  animals — may 
be  nearly  as  nutritious  as  good  bread,  and  is 
more  easily  digested.  But  it  is  very  far  from 
being  proved  that,  for  the  healthy,  those  things 
are  always  best  which  are  most  easily  digested. 
Nobody  will  pretend  that  potatoes  are  better  for 
us  than  bread ;  and  yet  the  experiments  of  Dr. 
Beaumont  seem  to  prove  that  boiled  or  roasted 
potatoes  are  much  more  quick  and  easy  of  diges- 
tion than  bread  of  the  first  and  best  quality. 
Even  over-boiled  eggs,  and  raw  cabbage,  bad 


FOOD. 


157 


Locke's  opinions.  Our  teeth  made  to  be  used. 

as  they  are,  are  dissolved  in  the  stomach,  and 
appear  to  be  digested  as  quick,  if  not  quicker, 
than  good  wheat  bread.  But  nobody  in  the 
world  will  pretend  they  form  more#  wholesome 
food.  Neither  is  meat — even  lean  meat — neces- 
sarily more  wholesome,  or  better  calculated  to 
give  strength  than  bread,  simply  because  it  is  more 
quickly  and  easily  digested.  It  would  be  nearer 
the  truth  to  say,  that  those  substances  which  digest 
slowest  (provided  they  do  not  irritate)  are  best 
adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  human  stomach. 

The  philosopher  Locke — perhaps  from  his 
knowledge  of  medicine — £ives  some  excellent  di- 
rections  on  this  subject.  "  Great  care  should  be 
used,"  he  says,  that  the  child  "  eat  bread  plenti- 
fully, both  alone  and  with  everything  else ;  and 
whatever  he  eats  that  is  solid,  make  him  chew  it 
well."  This  writer,  by  the  way,  supposed  that 
the  teeth  were  made  to  be  used  in  beating  our 
food ;  and  that  we  ought  neither  to  swallow  it 
without  chewing,  as  is  customary  in  our  busy  New 
England,  nor  to  mash  or  soak  it  in  order  to  save 
the  labor  of  mastication — a  practice  almost  equally 
universal.    But  let  us  hear  his  own  words. 

"  As  for  his  diet,  it  ought  to  be  very  plain  and 
simple  ;  and  if  I  might  advise,  flesh  should  be 
forborne,  at  least  till  he  is  two  or  three  years  old. 


158 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Cramming'.  No  flesh  required  during-  infancy. 

But  of  whatever  advantage  this  may  be  to  his 
future  health  and  strength,  I  fear  it  will  hardly  be 
consented  to  by  parents,  misled  by  the  custom 
of  eating  too  much  flesh  themselves,  who  will  be 
apt  to  think  their  children — as  they  do  themselves 
— in  danger  to  be  starved,  if  they  have  not  flesh 
at* least  twice  a  day.  This  I  am  sure,  children 
would  breed  their  teeth  with  much  less  danger,  be 
freer  from  diseases  while  they  were  little,  and  lay 
the  foundations  of  a  healthy  and  strong  constitu- 
tion much  surer,  if  they  were  not  crammed  so 
much  as  they  are,  by  fond  mothers  and  foolish 
servants,  and  were  kept  wholly  from  flesh  the  first 
three  or  four  years  of  their  lives." 

Were  Locke  still  living,  I  should  like  to  inter- 
rogate him  at  this  place.  He  first  speaks  of  giv- 
ing children  no  meat  till  they  are  two  or  three 
years  old ;  and  then  afterwards  extends  the 
period  to  three  or  four.  The  question  I  would 
put  is  this — If  the  child  is  healthier  without  meat 
till  he  is  three  or  four  years  old,  why  not  till  he  is 
thirteen  or  fourteen  ;  or  even  till  thirty,  or  forty, 
or  seventy  ?  And  is  not  Professor  Stuart  of  An- 
dover — a  meat  eater  himself,  and  an  advocate  for 
its  moderate  use  by  those  who  have  already  been 
trained  to  the  use  of  it — is  not  the  professor,  I 
say,  more  than  half  right  when  he  asserts,  as  I 


FOOD. 


159 


Eating-  between  meals.        Habit.        How  to  make  gluttons. 

have  heard  him,  that  it  may  be  well  to  train  all 
children,  from  the  first,  to  the  exclusive  use  of 
vegetable  food  ? 

I  have  a  few  more  extracts  from  Locke,  par- 
ticularly on  the  subject  of  bread. 

"  I  should  think  that  a  good  piece  of  well  made 
and  well  baked  brown  bread  would  be  often  the 
best  breakfast  for  my  young  master.  I  am  sure  it 
is  as  wholesome,  and  will  make  him  as  strong  a 
man,  as  greater  delicacies ;  and  if  he  be  used  to  it, 
it  will  be  as  pleasant  to  him. 

"  If  he,  at  any  time,  call  for  victuals  between 
meals,  use  him  to  nothing  but  dry  bread.  If  he 
be  hungry  more  than  w7anton,  bread  will  go  down ; 
and  if  he  be  not  hungry,  it  is  not  fit  that  he 
should  eat.  By  this  you  will  obtain  two  good 
effects.  First,  that  by  custom  he  will  come  to  be 
in  love  with  bread ;  for,  as  I  said,  our  palates,  and 
stomachs,  too,  are  pleased  with  the  things  we  are 
used  to.  Another  good  you  will  gain  hereby  is, 
that  you  will  not  teach  him  to  eat  more  nor  oftener 
than  nature  requires. 

"  I  do  not  think  that  all  people's  appetites  are 
alike ;  some  have  naturally  stronger  and  some 
weaker  stomachs.  But  this  I  think,  that  many 
are  made  gormands  and  gluttons  by  custom,  that 
were  not  so  by  nature.    And  I  see,  in  some 


160 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Roman  customs.     Augustus.      Seneca.     Their  young  men. 

countries,  men  as  lusty  and  strong  that  eat  but 
two  meals  a#  day,  as  those  that  have  set  their 
stomachs,  by  a  constant  usage,  to  call  on  them  for 
four  or  five. 

"  The  Romans  usually  fasted  till  supper — the 
only  set  meal,  even  of  those  who  ate  more  than 
once  a  day ;  and  those  who  used  breakfasts,  as 
some  did  at  eight,  some  at  ten,  others  at  twelve 
of  the  clock,  and  some  later,  neither  ate  flesh  nor 
had  anything  made  ready  for  them. 

"  Augustus,  when  the  greatest  monarch  on  the 
earth,  tells  us  he  took  a  piece  of  dry  bread  in  his 
chariot ;  and  Seneca,  in  his  83d  epistle,  giving  an 
account  how  he  managed  himself  when  he  was 
old,  and  his  age  permitted  indulgence,  says  that 
he  used  to  eat  a  piece  of  dry  bread  for  his  dinner, 
without  the  formality  of  sitting  to  it.  Yet  Seneca, 
as  it  is  well  known,  was  wealthy. 

"  The  masters  of  the  world  were  brought  up 
with  this  spare  diet,  and  the  young  gentlemen  of 
Rome  felt  no  want  of  strength  or  spirit,  because 
they  ate  but  once  a  day.  Or  if  it  happened  by 
chance  that  any  one  could  not  fast  so  long  as  till 
supper,  their  only  set  meal,  he  took  nothing  but  a 
bit  of  dry  bread,  or  at  most  a  few  raisins  or  some 
such  slight  thing  with  it,  to  stay  his  stomach. 
And  more  than  one  set  meal  a  day  was  thought 


FOOD. 


161 


Medical  writers  generally.       Their  want  of  faith  in  mankind. 

so  monstrous  that  it  was  a  reproach,  as  low  as 
Caesar's  time,  to  make  an  entertainment,  or  sit 
down  to  a  table,  till  towards  sunset.  Therefore  I 
judge  it  most  convenient  that  my  young  master 
should  have  nothing  but  bread  for  breakfast.  I 
impute  a  great  part  of  our  diseases  in  England 
to  our  eating  too  much  flesh,  and  too  little  bread. 
Dry  bread,  though  the  best  nourishment,  has  the 
least  temptation." 

I  shall  not  undertake  to  defend  all  the  senti- 
ments of  Mr.  Locke  in  these  extracts ;  but  in 
regard  to  the  main  point — the  nutritive  properties 
and  wholesome  tendency  of  bread,  and  the  impor- 
tance of  making  it  a  principal  article  of  diet  for 
children — I  think  his  views  are  just.  In  short, 
they  do  not  differ,  substantially,  from  those  of  a 
large  proportion  of  the  best  writers  on  this  subject 
in  every  country,  during  the  last  three  hundred 
years.  As  if  with  one  voice,  they  dissuade  from 
the  use  of  too  much  animal  food  for  the  young, 
and  encourage  the  use  of  a  larger  proportion  of 
vegetable  food — bread,  plain  puddings,  rice,  pota- 
toes, turnips,  beets,  apples,  pears,  &c,  and  milk. 

Yet  they  all,  or  nearly  all,  seem  to  write  just  as 
if  they  did  not  expect  to  be  believed  ;  or  if  be- 
lieved, to  be  followed.  They  seem  to  regard 
mankind  as  so  inveterately  attached  to  old  habits, 
11 


162 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


There  is  hope.  Little  variation  of  diet  after  weaning-. 

and  so  much  addicted  to  flesh  eating,  that  there  is 
little  hope  of  reclaiming  them. 

Now,  though  my  opinions  are  no  more  entitled 
to  respect  than  many  of  theirs,  I  hope  for  greater 
success  than  they  appear  to  do.  I  expect  that 
many  young  mothers  who  read  this  work,  will  be 
led  to  think  and  inquire  further  on  the  subject ; 
and  if  they  find  that  the  views  here  advanced  are 
in  accordance  with  reason,  and  common  sense, 
and  higher  authority,  I  am  not  without  hope  that 
•they  will  reform,  and  do  what  they  can  to  reform 
their  neighbors. 

I  have  dwelt  the  longer,  in  this  section,  on  the 
general  principles  of  diet,  because  I  am  of  opinion 
that  whatever  is  true,  on  this  subject,  in  regard  to 
the  diet  of  children,  soon  after  weaning,  is  equally, 
or  nearly  equally  applicable  to  the  whole  of  child- 
hood, youth,  manhood  and  age.  It  is  not  true 
that  one  period  of  life,  and  one  mode  of  employ- 
ment, demands  a  diet  essentially  different  from 
that  which  is  demanded  at  another  period,  and  in 
other  circumstances  ;  provided  always,  that  the 
individual  is  in  health.  Occasional  instances  of 
the  kind  there  may  be,  but  they  are  not  numerous. 

The  digestive  powers  of  the  young  are  more 
nearly  as  strong  as  those  of  the  adult  than  is  usually 
admitted  ;  and  they  are  much  more  active.  They 


FOOD. 


163 


Case  of  hard  laborers.         Who  it  is  that  require  most  food. 

require  a  less  quantity  o£  food,  undoubtedly  ;  and 
they  should  be  fed  at  shorter  intervals.  But  as  a 
general  rule,  what  is  best  for  them,  as  regards  its 
quality,  at  three  years  old,  is  best  for  them  at 
thirty  ;  or  should  they  live  so  long,  at  ninety. 
I  repeat  it :  there  is  very  little  difference  in  the 
nature  of  the  food  required,  ever  after  teething. 

Let  me  not  be  understood  as  saying  that  the 
strong,  and  the  robust,  and  the  active  cannot  digest 
food  which  the  weak,  and  enervated,  and  indolent 
cannot.  Undoubtedly  they  can.  But  this  does 
not  prove  that  they  ought  to  do  it.  It  does  not 
prove  that  their  strength  and  vigor  were  not  given 
them  for  other  purposes  than  to  be  expended  on 
worse  substances  for  food,  when  they  might  have 
better.  Nor  is  it  true,  as  often  pretended,  that 
the  hard  laborer  needs  either  more  food,  or  that 
which  is  of  a  stronger  quality,  just  in  proportion 
to  the  severity  of  his  labor.  The  man  or  the 
child  who  labors  moderately,  just  sufficient  for  the 
purposes  of  health,  and  labors  with  his  hands  in 
the  open  air,  needs  rather  more  food  than  the 
indolent  or  the  sedentary,  or  those  who  labor  to 
excess;  but  not  that  which  is  of  a  stronger  quality. 
It  is  he  who  labors  to  excess — if  any  difference 
of  quality  were  required  at  all — who  should  eat 
milder  food,  as  well  as  less  in  quantity. 


164 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Bread  and  water  only.  Not  the  best  living. 

Some  physicians  there  are  who  tell  us  that  all 
mankind  would  live  longer,  as  well  as  be  more 
healthful,  if  they  ate  nothing  but  bread,  and  drank 
nothing  but  water.  It  may  be  so,  but  I  do  not 
believe  it.  Water,  as  I  shall  show  hereafter,  is 
indeed  the  only  appropriate  drink  ;  but  I  do  not 
believe  that  bread,  even  after  the  second  year,  is 
in  all  cases  and  circumstances  the  best  food.  Be- 
sides that  the  experiments  of  Majendie  and  other 
physiologists  go  a  little  way— though  not  far,  I 
confess,  to  prove  that  animals  generally,  (and  if 
so,  why  not  man,  as  well  as  the  rest,)  thrive  best 
with  some  degree  of  variety  in  their  food,  it  seems 
to  me  more  in  accordance  with  the  general  inten- 
tions of  the  Creator,  so  far  as  we  can  discover 
what  they  are. 

While,  therefore,  I  deny  that  either  milk  or 
bread  is  better,  in  all  cases,  for  human  sustenance, 
than  any  other  articles  of  food,  I  must  at  the  same 
time  be  permitted  to  regard  them  as  among  the 
best,  and  as  deserving  more  general  attention. 
Every  infant,  after  leaving  the  breast,  should,  as 
it  seems  to  me,  make  bread,  in  some  of  its  forms, 
a  chief  article  of  food. 

This  article,  so  justly  and  emphatically  called 
the  staff  of  life,  may  be  found  in  almost  every 
country.    Common  sense  seems  to  have  dictated 


FOOD. 


165 


Bread.         Best  kind.  The  worst.  Prejudices. 

the  propriety  of  its  use  ;  though  fashion  has  often 
led  us  to  overlook  or  despise  it,  like  air,  and  fire, 
and  water,  and  nearly  every  other  common  but 
indispensable  blessing. 

The  best  kind  of  bread  is  made  from  wheat ; 
the  worst  from  bark,  saw-dust,  &c.  Wood  and 
bark  afford  so  little  nutriment,  that  it  is  only 
in  such  countries  as  Norway,  Sweden,  Lapland, 
Iceland,  Greenland  and  Siberia,  that  the  inhabi- 
tants can  be  induced  to  make  use  of  them.  Here 
they  are  often  useful ;  either  because  people  cannot 
get  food  which  is  better,  or  to  blend  with  their  fat 
or  oily  animal  food.  For  it  should  never  be  for- 
gotten, that  healthy  digestion  requires  a  large  pro- 
portion of  innutritious  matter  along  with  the  pure 
nutriment.  In  order  to  make  bread  from  wheat, 
the  meal  should  not  be  bolted.  If  it  seems  to 
contain  particles  which  are  too  coarse,  it  may  be 
well  to  pass  it  through  a  coarse  family  sieve  ;  but 
the  best  bread  I  have  ever  eaten,  as  well  as  the 
cleanest  and  neatest,  was  not  sifted  at  all. 

I  know  there  is  an  almost  universal  prejudice 
against  this  sort  of  bread.  Some  complain  that  it 
scratches  their  throats  ;  others,  that  it  is  tasteless ; 
and  others  still,  that  it  does  not  agree  with  them. 
With  others,  there  is  another  objection,  which  is, 
that  bread  of  this  sort  has  sometimes  been  called 


166 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Causes  of  bad  bread.  Mistakes  of  the  bakers. 

dyspepsia  bread  ;  and  with  others  still,  that  it  has 
been  called  Graham  bread.  Either  of  these  ap- 
pellations seems  sufficient  to  condemn  it. 

Now  as  to  its  harshness,  this  is  owing  to  its 
being  made  of  bad  materials,  or  to  its  being  baked 
too  hard,  or  kept  too  long.  Much  of  what  they 
call  dyspepsia  bread,  in  our  cities,  is  evidently 
made  by  mixing  the  bran  and  flour  of  wheat,  after 
they  have  been  once  separated  ;  besides  which, 
in  not  a  few  cases,  the  finest  of  the  flour  appears 
to  be  taken  away.  Now,  bread  made  of  such 
materials,  thus  combined,  will  always  be  darker 
colored,  as  well  as  harsher,  than  when  made  from 
the  wheat,  simply  ground  without  any  bolting,  and 
wet  up  in  the  usual  manner.  Such  bread  is  best 
two  or  three  days  old.  After  four  days,  it  be- 
comes dry  and  somewhat  harsh. 

They  who  complain  that  such  bread  is  insipid, 
are  persons  whose  appetites  have  been  injured  by 
food  which  is  high  seasoned  ;  and  who,  if  they  eat 
bread  at  all,  must  eat  it  hot,  or  soaked  in  butter. 
No  wonder  such  persons  do  not  like  plain  bread, 
and  say  it  is  tasteless.  But  it  must  not  be  denied 
that  bakers  often  suffer  this  kind  of  bread  to  be 
over-risen,  in  order  to  make  it  sufficiently  light  and 
porous.  This  renders  it  less  tasteful,  and  from 
the  saleratus  they  use,  less  wholesome, 


FOOD. 


167 


Little  infants  prefer  cold  bread.  Who  does  not  ? 

No  child  who  has  been  accustomed,  from  the 
first,  to  good  wheaten  bread,  made  of  unbolted 
meal,  and  not  less  than  one  day  old,  will  ever 
prefer  any  other,  until  he  has  been  rendered  capri- 
cious on  this  subject,  and  wishes  to  change  for  the 
sake  of  changing,  or  until  he  has  been  misled  by 
surrounding  example.  I  speak  from  observation 
when  I  say  that  infants,  whose  habits  have  not 
been  depraved,  will  not  prefer  hot  bread  of  any 
kind.  "  It  is  too  hot,  mother,"  I  have  heard  them 
say,  as  an  apology  for  refusing  a  piece  of  bread ; 
but  never,  "  It  is  cold,"  or  "  It  is  too  old." 

It  is  the  epicurean — it  is  he  with  whom  it  is  a 
sufficient  objection  to  any  kind  of  food  whatever, 
that  he  has  used  it  for  several  successive  meals 
or  days — that  is  most  ready  to  complain  of  good 
bread.  He  whose  habits  are  correct,  and  who  is 
the  more  unwilling  to  change  any  of  his  articles  of 
diet,  the  longer  he  has  been  in  the  use  of  them, 
and  who  only  changes  them,  or  uses  variety,  from 
principle — he,  I  say,  will  never  complain  of  harsh- 
ness or  want  of  taste  in  good  wheat  bread ;  nor 
will  it  be  an  objection  of  weight  with  him  that 
Mr.  Graham  has  recommended  it,  or  that  it  has 
either  prevented  or  cured  dyspepsia. 

Nor  will  the  epicurean  himself  complain  that 
bread  is  insipid,  after  being  confined  to  it  for  a 


168 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Who  enjoy  true  pleasure  in  eating.  Power  of  habit. 

month  or  six  weeks.  He  will  then  find  a  sweet- 
ness in  it,  for  which  he  had  long  sought  in  vain,  in 
the  more  delicate  and  costly  viands  of  a  luxurious, 
and  expensive,  and  unchristian  modern  table. 

It  is  they  only  who  observe  simplicity,  and  con- 
fine themselves  to  very  plain  food,  who  truly  enjoy 
pleasure  in  eating.  The  bulk  of  mankind  benumb 
their  sense  of  taste  by  their  high-seasoned,  over- 
stimulating  food  and  drink,  and  by  such  constant 
variety  and  strange  mixture ;  and  thus  in  their 
eager  cry — "  Who  will  show  us  any  good  ?"  they 
actually  enjoy  less  than  he  who  eats  plain  food, 
and  is  contented  with  it. 

Bread  of  all  kinds  is  greatly  improved  in  white- 
ness and  pleasantness  by  being  wet  with  milk  ; 
though  even  when  wet  with  nothing  but  water, 
there  is  a  solid  and  rational  sweetness  to  it,  of 
which  the  despisers  of  bread,  and  devourers  of 
much  flesh  and  condiments,  never  dreamed,  and 
never  will  dream,  till  they  reform  their  habits. 

If  children  are  furnished  with  good  bread,  on 
the  plan  of  Mr.  Locke,  there  is  no  doubt  that 
they  will  relish  it  most  keenly  ;  that  their  attach- 
ment to  it  will  strengthen,  and  that  unless  we  give 
them  other  food  occasionally,  from  principle,  or 
seduce  them,  by  depraving  their  tastes,  they  will 
continue  it  through  life.    Train  up  a  child  in  the 


FOOD. 


169 


A  difficulty.  How  it  can  be  got  over. 

way  he  should  go,  and  when  he  is  old  he  will  not 
depart  from  it,  is  a  general  rule,  and  has  as  few 
exceptions,  when  applied  to  the  diet  of  a  child, 
as  when  it  is  applied  to  his  moral  tastes  and  pre- 
ferences. 

With  those  parents  who,  though  convinced  of 
the  justness  of  the  views  here  advanced,  have 
already  trained  their  children  in  the  way  they 
should  not  go,  but  are  anxious  to  retrace  their 
steps  as  far  as  possible,  there  will  here  be  a  diffi- 
culty. ^Our  children,"  they  will  say,  "  do  not, 
at  present,  relish  the  kind  of  bread  you  speak  of; 
and  how  shall  we  bring  them  to  do  so  ?  or  is  the 
thing  indeed  possible  ? 

The  answer  to  these  inquiries  is  easy.  Such 
parents  have  only  to  confine  their  children  to  the 
kinds  of  food  which  they  deem  proper  for  them, 
a  few  weeks  or  a  few  months,  and  they  will  soon 
relish  them.  If  those  who  are  old  enough  to  be 
convinced  can  be  brought  to  unite  heartily  in  the 
change,  and  to  endeavor  to  be  pleased  with  it, 
the  work  of  reformation  will  be  more  pleasing,  and 
probably  more  speedy.  I  have  never  found  any 
difficulty  of  bringing  myself  to  relish,  in  a  very 
short  time,  an  article  of  food  for  which  I  had  no 
relish  before,  and  to  which  I  had  even  a  dislike, 
provided  I  was  thoroughly  convinced  it  was  best 


170 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


An  important  rule.  Various  kinds  of  good  bread. 

for  me,  and  was  earnest  in  the  desire  of  change — 
except  sweet  oil,  to  which  I  was  about  six  months 
in  becoming  reconciled. 

It  is  with  physical,  as  with  moral  habits,  in  their 
formation.  We  should  fix  on  what  we  belie  ve^ 
from  experience,  observation,  and  divine  and  hu- 
man testimony,  is  best  for  us,  and  habit  will  soon 
render  it  agreeable.  It  is  important,  even  to 
health,  that  food  should  be  agreeable ;  but  as  I 
have  already  said,  what  we  know  to  be  best  for  us 
will  soon  become  agreeable,  if  we  confine  ourselves 
to  it ;  and  to  our  children  also,  if  we  confine  them 
to  it,  in  like  manner. 

Next  to  bread  made  of  wheat — when  that 
cannot  be  procured — is  a  mixture  of  wheat  and 
Indian ;  but  the  proportion  of  the  latter  should  be 
the  smallest.  Wheat,  rye  and  Indian,  in  the  pro- 
portion of  one  third  of  each,  make  excellent  bread, 
sometimes  called  third  bread.  Rye  and  Indian 
make  a  tolerable  bread.  Rye  alone  is  not  so 
good.  The  want,  in  the  latter,  of  the  vegetable 
principle  called  gluten,  makes  its  general  use  of 
very  questionable  propriety. 

Indian  meal  alone,  baked  in  cakes  by  the  fire,  if 
eaten  only  in  small  quantities,  is  a  very  nutritious, 
and  by  no  means  unwholesome  bread.  But  its 
sweetness,  and  the  general  fondness  which  people 


FOOD. 


171 


Warm  Indian  cakes.        Coarser  bread.        Plain  pudding. 

who  are  accustomed  to  its  use  have  for  it,  lead 
themio  eat  it  in  too  large  proportions,  if  they  use 
it  while  it  is  warm.  In  these  circumstances,  it 
proves  itself  too  active  for  the  stomach  and  bowels. 
If  warm,  six  ounces  is  as  much  as  a  hearty  adult 
ought  to  eat  of  it  at  once  ;  and  children  should  of 
course  take  much  less.  It  is  less  active  on  the 
bowels,  and  scarcely  less  agreeable,  as  soon  as  we 
become  accustomed  to  it,  if  eaten  when  it  is  cold  ; 
or  even  baked  in  loaves,  in  the  oven. 

Potatoes,  added  to  unbolted  wheat  flour,  make 
excellent  bread ;  and  so,  as  I  am  informed,  does 
rice.  Of  the  latter,  however,  I  have  never  eaten. 
Oats  and  barley,  and  many  other  grains  and  sub- 
stances, will  make  bread,  but  it  is  of  an  inferior 
kind. 

The  question  may  again  recur,  after  this  ex- 
tended series  of  remarks,  whether  I  intend  to  con- 
fine the  young  almost  exclusively  to  bread,  in  one 
or  another  of  its  forms.  We  shall  see  how  this  is, 
presently. 

While  bread,  therefore,  should  constitute  a  part, 
at  least,  and  sometimes  the  whole  of  a  meal,  a 
great  variety  of  other  articles  is  not  only  admissi- 
ble, but  desirable.  Among  these  may  be  men- 
tioned plain  puddings. 


/ 


172 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Hasty  pudding.       Boiled  rice.       Best  pudding  in  the  world. 

One  of  the  most  wholesome  puddings  is  made 
of  Indian  meal,  enclosed  in  a  bag  and  boiled. 
Nearly  allied  to  this  is  the  common  hasty  pud- 
ding ;  but  the  last  is  less  wholesome,  because  it 
requires  less  chewing  ;  and  it  ought  to  have  been 
observed,  before  now,  that  after  weaning,  any 
food  is  digested  better  which  has  undergone  the 
process  of  thorough  mastication. 

Boiled  rice,  though  hardly  to  be  regarded  as 
a  pudding,  is  very  nutritious,  and  very  easy  of 
digestion.  I  am  not  without  doubts,  however,  in 
regard  to  the  utility  of  a  large  proportion  of  rice, 
as  food.  A  dinner  of  it,  two  or  three  times  a 
week,  I  believe  to  be  wholesome ;  but  used  too 
frequently,  it  seems  to  me  not  active  enough  for 
the  stomach  and  bowels ;  having  in  this  respect 
precisely  a  contrary  effect  to  that  of  warm  Indian 
cakes.  The  common  notion  that  rice  has  a  ten- 
dency to  make  people  blind,  is  entirely  unfounded. 
Its  worst  effect  is  when  eaten  without  being  boiled 
through.  In  such  cases,  I  have  known  it  to  do 
mischief ;  perhaps  because  it  was  swallowed  with- 
out much  chewing.  Some  grind  it,  and  use  the 
flour;  but  I  cannot  recommend  it  to  be  used  in 
this  manner. 

The  best  pudding  in  the  world  is  a  loaf  of  bread, 
(What ! — you  will  say — bread  again  ?)  three  or 


FOOD. 


173 


Eating  food  too  hot.  Nothing  mixed  with  puddings. 

four  or  five  days  old,  boiled,  or  rather  steamed, 
in  milk.  All  kinds  of  bread  are  excellent  for 
this  purpose,  but  wheat  and  Indian  are  the  best. 
They  are  excellent,  even  without  milk — that  is, 
simply  steamed. 

Puddings  made  of  the  flour  of  wheat,  rye, 
buckwheat,  &c,  are  less  wholesome  than  those 
which  have  been  already  mentioned.  And  all 
sorts  of  puddings  are  less  wholesome  when  eaten 
as  hot  as  our  unreasonable  fashions  require,  than 
when  their  temperature  is  quite  below  that  of  our 
bodies.  I  would  not  have  them  so  cold  as  to  chill 
us,  for  this  would  be  to  go  to  the  other,  though 
less  dangerous  extreme  ;  but  they  ought  to  be 
cool.  Too  much  heat  is  an  unnatural  stimulus, 
likely  to  leave  more  or  less  debility  behind  it.  In 
addition  to  this,  those  who  eat  hot  food  are  more 
exposed  to  take  cold,  in  consequence  of  it. 

With  none  of  these  puddings  ought  we  to 
mix  any  fruits,  green  or  dried — not  even  raisins. 
Some  of  the  more  important  properties  of  nearly 
every  kind  of  berry  or  fruit  are  lost  by  boiling, 
unless  we  eat  the  water  in  which  they  are  boiled, 
and  save  the  vapor  which  would  otherwise  es- 
cape. I  am  not  in  favor  of  boiled  fruit  generally, 
especially  if  boiled  in  puddings. 

Puddings,  like  most  other  kinds  of  food — even 


174  THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 

The  use  of  salt.  No  butter  or  suet  in  puddings. 

bread,  may  be  slightly  salted  :  not  that  it  is  indis- 
pensable, but  because  the  balance  of  human  tes- 
timony is  in  its  favor.  The  argument  that  we 
evidently  need  salt  because  the  other  animals 
require  it,  is  without  much  weight.  The  other 
animals  do  not  generally  require  or  use  it.#  The 
cases  so  often  triumphantly  mentioned,  where  ani- 
mals appear  to  thrive  better  from  the  use  of  it,  are 
only  exceptions  to  the  general  rule ;  nor  are  they 
very  numerous,  in  comparison  with  the  whole 
race  of  animals.  Still  I  have  no  objection  to  its 
moderate  use.  It  may  be  useful  in  preventing 
worms ;  though  there  are  doubts,  even  of  that. 
In  large  quantities,  it  is  unquestionably  hurtful. 

But  neither  fruits  nor  berries — permit  me  to 
repeat  the  sentiment — no,  nor  any  such  thing  as 
cinnamon  or  spices,  or  even  sugar  or  molasses,  in 
any  considerable  quantity,  should  go  into  the  com- 
position of  any  sort  of  pudding.  If  the  puddings 
are  not  sweet  enough  without,  it  is  better  to  add  a 
little  sugar  or  molasses  on  your  plate.  Nor  should 
sauces,  or  cream,  or  butter,  or  suet,  be  used  in  or 
upon  them  ;  though  of  all  these  substances,  cream 
is  least  injurious.    Nutmegs,  grated  cheese,  &c, 


#  Some  considerable  savage  nations  use  no  salt,  and  a 
few  have  a  strong  aversion  to  it. 


FOOD. 


175 


Potatoes.     Turnips.      Onions.     Beets.      Beans  and  peas. 

are  unnecessary  and  hurtful.  Cheese  should  never 
be  eaten,  in  any  way. 

There  is  one  thing,  however,  which  may  be 
eaten  in  moderate  quantity  with  all  sorts  of  pud- 
dings, and  with  bread  ;  I  mean  milk.  I  say  eaten 
with,  for  it  is  better  never  to  put  these  substances, 
nor  indeed  any  other,  into  the  milk.  The  bread, 
pudding,  he.  should  be  eaten  by  itself,  and  the 
milk  by  itself,  also.  In  this  way  we  shall  not  be 
liable  to  cheat  the  teeth  out  of  what  is  justly  their 
due,  and  then  make  the  deranged  stomach  and 
general  system  pay  for  it. 

Potatoes  are  a  good  article  of  diet — to  be  used 
once  a  day — though  they  are  not  very  nutritious. 
They  are  best  either  steamed  or  roasted  in  the 
ashes.  They  are  also  excellent  when  boiled. 
Turnips  are  also  good.  Onions  are  not  so  useful 
as  is  generally  supposed,  except  for  purposes  of 
medicine. 

Beets,  in  small  quantity,  and  carrots  and  aspara- 
gus, and  above  all,  beans  and  peas — but  not  their 
pods — are  tolerable  food  once  a  day,  during  most 
of  the  year,  except  it  be  the  middle  of  the  winter. 
But  neither  these,  nor  potatoes,  nor  any  other 
vegetables,  ought  to  be  cooked  in  any  way  with 
fat,  or  fat  meat,  or  butter ;  or  be  mashed  after 
they  are  cooked,  or  eaten  with  oil  or  butter. 


176 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Oily  food  not  to  be  eaten.  On  the  use  of  fruit. 

If  there  be  an  exception  to  this  general  rule — 
which  may  seem  to  be  rather  sweeping — it  should 
be  in  favor  of  a  little  sweet  oil  on  rice,  or  on  bread 
puddings.  But  the  common  practice,  founded 
upon  the  apparent  belief  that  we  can  scarcely 
eat  anything  until  it  is  well  oiled  writh  lard  or 
butter,  is  quite  objectionable — nay,  it  is  even  dis- 
gusting. No  pure  stomach  would  ever  prefer 
oily  bread,  or  pudding,  or  beans,  or  peas ;  and 
most  people  would  abhor  the  sight  of  such  a 
strange  combination,  were  not  habit,  in  its  power 
to  change  our  very  nature,  almost  omnipotent. 

Sec.  9.    Remarks  on  Fruit. 

There  is  a  very  great  diversity  of  opinion  on 
the  subject  of  fruit.  Some  maintain  that  all  fruit, 
even  in  the  most  ripe  and  perfect  state,  is  of 
doubtful  utility,  especially  for  children.  Others 
say  none  is  hurtful,  if  ripe  and  eaten  in  moderate 
quantity.  Some  require  care  in  making  a  proper 
selection ;  but  here  again,  in  regard  to  what  con- 
stitutes a  proper  selection,  there  is  a  difference  of 
opinion.  Some  consider  /ruits  easy  of  digestion  ; 
others  believe  they  are  digested  only  with  very 
great  difficulty. 


FOOD. 


177 


Fruits  in  cholera.  Whether  or  not  injurious. 

When  the  cholera  prevailed  in  the  large  cities 
of  the  United  States,  a  majority  of  the  physicians 
believed  all  fruits,  even  those  which  were  ripe,  to 
be  injurious  in  their  tendency.  But  it  was  insisted 
by  the  minority — I  think  very  justly — that  when- 
ever fruit  appeared  to  be  injurious,  it  was  acci- 
dental— that  is,  the  disease,  being  prepared  to 
make  its  attack  just  at  that  time,  happened  to  do 
so  immediately  after  the  use  of  fruit,  rather  than 
something  else,  and  especially  in  the  season  of 
fruits — or  on  account  of  excess ;  or  (which  was 
certainly  the  case  in  some  instances)  the  quality 
of  the  fruit  was  bad. 

At  present,  the  weight  of  testimony  on  this 
subject — estimating  according  to  talent,  and  not 
according  to  numbers — is  in  favor  of  good  fruit, 
used  with  moderation — even  in  the  face  of  the 
cholera.  Dr.  Dunglison — one  of  the  last  to  adopt 
such  an  opinion — appears  to  be  in  its  favor. 

On  several  points,  in  regard  to  fruit,  I  believe 
that  among  medical  men,  there  is  no  essential  dif- 
ference of  opinion.  As  I  always  prefer,  in  con- 
troversies, to  see  in  how  many  things  antagonists 
agree,  before  proceeding  to  the  points  in  which 
they  differ,  I  will  here  endeavor  to  enumerate 
them. 

12 


178 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Seven  rules  in  regard  to  the  use  of  fruit. 

1.  All  unripe  fruits,  especially  if  eaten  raw  and 
uncooked — let  the  season,  or  prevalent  disease,  or 
individual,  be  who  or  what  it  may — are  unwhole- 
some. 

2.  Excess,  in  the  use  of  the  most  wholesome 
fruits,  under  any  circumstances,  is  also  injurious. 

3.  Fruits,  eaten  immediately  after  a  full  meal, 
when  the  stomach  is  in  an  improper  condition  for 
receiving  anything  more,  contribute  to  overtask 
the  digestive  powers,  and  must  hence  produce 
more  or  less  of  injury. 

4.  The  skins  and  kernels  of  the  larger  fruits 
are  unwholesome,  because  indigestible.  The  skins 
of  fruits,  if  beaten  or  masticated  finely,  may  appear 
to  be  digested,  because  dissolved ;  but  I  have 
already  endeavored  to  show  that  solution  is  not 
always  digestion. 

5.  Fruits  of  all  kinds  are  most  wholesome  in 
their  own  country,  and  in  their  own  appropriate 
season. 

6.  Dried  fruits  are  less  wholesome  than  fresh. 

7.  Fruit  of  all  kinds  should  be  withheld  from 
infants,  until  they  have  teeth. 

Thus  far,  as  I  have  already  said,  all  agree ;  at 
least  so  far  as  I  know.  There  are  several  other 
points  on  which  medical  men  are  generally  agreed, 
though  not  universally.    One  of  these  is,  that 


FOOD. 


179 


Fruits  in  summer.     Their  tendency.     Fruit  before  breakfast. 

fruits,  if  eaten  at  all,  should  usually  form  a  part  of 
a  regular  meal.  Another  is,  that  it  is  better  not 
to  eat  them  immediately  before  going  to  bed. 

There  are  contradictory  opinions  among  the 
mass  of  the  community,  physicians  as  well  as 
others,  on  the  general  intention  of  our  summer 
fruits.  From  the  fact  that  children's  diseases 
prevail  more  at  the  time  of  the  season  when  fruits 
are  most  abundant,  many  think  the  fruits  are  the 
immediate  cause  of  them.  Others,  and  with  better 
reason,  suppose  that  they  are  intended  by  the 
Author  of  nature  to  check  or  prevent  the  bowel 
diseases  of  summer. 

Nothing,  certainly,  is  more  unnatural  than  to 
suppose  that  at  the  very  season  of  the  year  when 
so  many  other  influences  combine  to  awaken  a 
tendency  to  disease  in  the  human  system,  the 
Creator  should  place  before  our  eyes  an  abundance 
of  fruits,  inviting  us  by  all  their  cooling  and  tempt- 
ing properties,  only  to  do  us  mischief.  On  the 
contrary,  it  seems  to  me  much  more  probable  that 
many  of  them  were  designed  for  our  moderate  use. 
In  what  quantity,  under  what  circumstances,  and 
which  are  best,  it  is  left  to  human  experience  to 
determine. 

Some  say  that  fruit  should  never  be  eaten  in 
the  morning,  before  breakfast.    Now  everything  I 


180 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Why  the  morning  is  the  best  time  for  using-  fruit. 

know  of  the  human  constitution,  together  with 
what  I  have  learned  from  experience  and  observa- 
tion, has  been  for  years  leading  me  to  the  contrary- 
opinion.  Indeed,  I  am  most  fully  convinced,  that 
of  all  periods  for  eating  fruit,  whether  we  use  it 
alone,  or  make  it  a  part  of  our  regular  meals,  the 
morning,  soon  after  we  rise,  is  the  most  favorable.* 
My  reasons  are  as  follows  : 

1.  The  rest  and  sleep  of  the  preceding  night 
has  restored  our  general  vigor,  and  consequently 
has  invigorated  the  stomach,  so  that  digestion  will 
be  more  easily  and  perfectly  accomplished. 

2.  We  have  been,  at  our  rising,  so  long  without 
food  on  our  stomachs,  that  they  are  not  likely  to 
be  oppressed  by  a  moderate  quantity  of  good,  ripe, 
wholesome  fruit.  In  the  course  of  our  waking 
hours,  meals  follow  each  other  in  such  quick  suc- 
cession, and  there  is  so  much  variety,  even  at  the 
plainest  tables,  to  tempt  us  to  excess,  that  there  is 
more  danger  of  injury  from  the  addition  of  fruit, 
than  at  our  first  rising. 


*  I  ought  to  remark,  that  as  the  morning  is  the  best 
time  for  eating  good  fruit,  so  it  is  the  very  worst  time 
for  eating  it  if  not  good  ;  and  as  a  large  proportion  of 
that  which  is  eaten  is  unripe,  or  otherwise  bad,  this  may 
account  for  the  general  prejudice  against  eating  it  at 
this  period. 


FOOD. 


181 


Consideration  of  particular  fruits.  The  apple. 

3.  I  have  never  known  any  one  to  receive 
injury  from  the  use  of  fruit  in  this  way,  provided 
no  other  circumstance  in  relation  to  quality,  quan- 
tity, &c.  had  been  disregarded.  In  my  own  case, 
the  practice  has,  on  the  contrary,  seemed  bene- 
ficial. 

4.  There  is  one  reason  in  favor  of  this  practice 
which  perhaps  would  have  less  weight,  if  people 
rose  as  early  in  the  morning  as  they  ought ;  or,  in 
the  language  of  Dr.  Franklin  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Paris,  if  they  knew  that  the  sun  gives  light  as 
soon  as  he  rises.  I  allude  to  the  demand  which  I 
conceive  that  the  stomach  makes  for  something, 
after  so  long  fasting,  and  the  pernicious  custom  of 
late  breakfasts.  I  am  persuaded  that  it  is  advisa- 
ble to  eat  something  nearly  as  soon  as  we  rise,  be 
it  never  so  early  ;  and  if  we  can  get  nothing  else 
for  breakfast,  and  have  not  accustomed  ourselves 
to  relish  a  piece  of  good  bread,  or  some  other 
simple  thing,  which  requires  no  labor  of  prepara- 
tion, I  think  it  perfectly  proper  to  eat  a  small 
quantity  of  fruit. 

We  come  now  to  the  particular  consideration  of 
some  of  those  fruits  which  universal  experience 
has  shown  to  be  the  most  salutary. 

Of  all  these,  none  is  more  wholesome  than  the 
apple,    There  is,  indeed,  a  great  diversity  in  the 


182 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Early  and  late  fruits  compared.  Artificial  ripening-. 

quality  even  of  this  single  article.  Sweet  apples 
are  the  most  nutritious  ;  but  perhaps  those  which 
are  gently  acid,  and  at  the  same  time  mealy,  are 
rather  more  cooling,  and  when  eaten  raw,  and  in 
the  heat  of  summer,  not  less  wholesome. 

Apples  which  come  to  maturity  very  early  in 
the  season  appear,  as  a  general  rule,  to  be  less 
rich,  and  even  less  perfect,  than  those  which  ripen 
later.  In  view  of  this  fact,  some  writers  have 
endeavored  to  dissuade  us  from  their  use  ;  and 
among  others,  Mr.  Locke.  We  may  judge  a 
little  what  his  opinions  were,  from  his  concluding 
remarks  on  the  subject.  "  I  never  knew  apples 
hurt  anybody,"  says  he,  "  after  October." 

But  although  neither  apples  nor  any  other  fruits 
which  ripen  uncommonly  early  are  quite  so  good 
as  those  which  come  in  a  little  later,  yet  I  do  not 
think  they  are  to  be  wholly  rejected,  unless  they 
have  been  raised  in  hot  houses.  Fruits,  and 
indeed  vegetables  in  general,  whose  maturity  is 
hastened  by  artificial  processes,  must  be  less  whole- 
some than  when  brought  to  perfection  in  nature's 
own  appropriate  time  and  manner.  I  ought  to 
say,  however,  very  distinctly,  that  of  the  fruits  of 
any  particular  tree,  those  which  first  ripen  are 
always  the  worst ;  for  they  are  usually  wormy, 
or  otherwise  defective. 


FOOD. 


183 


Bad  condition  of  some  fruits.        Are  fruits  easy  of  digestion  ? 

Most  of  the  fruit,  as  well  as  other  vegetables, 
brought  to  our  city  markets  in  this  country,  is 
utterly  unfit  to  be  eaten.  Sometimes  it  is  imma- 
ture ;  sometimes  it  has  a  hot  house  maturity ; 
sometimes  it  has  been  picked  so  long  that  it  has 
begun  to  decay.  Many  fruits — berries  especially 
— are  in  perfection  for  a  very  short  period  only. 
Mulberries  for  example — one  kind  especially — 
are  not  in  perfection  long  enough  to  carry  to  the 
market  house,  though  the  distance  were  never  so 
small.  Luckily,  however,  very  few  mulberries  are 
eaten.  But  the  raspberry  and  strawberry,  if  per- 
fect when  gathered,  have  usually  begun  to  decay 
before  they  are  purchased.  That  this  appears  to 
be  rather  unfrequent,  is  because  they  are  gathered 
before  they  are  ripe. 

Dr.  Dewees  regards  most  fruits  as  difficult  of 
digestion.  I  do  not  think  they  are  so,  if  perfect 
and  ripe.  The  experiments  of  Dr.  Beaumont,  so 
far  as  they  prove  any  general  principle,  show 
conclusively  that  mellow  sweet  apples  are  more 
quickly  digested  than  any  kind  of  vegetable  food 
whatever,  except  rice  and  sago.  But  even  admit- 
ting they  were  slow  of  digestion,  I  do  not  think- — 
as  I  have  already  shown  in  another  place— that 
they  ought  on  that  account  to  be  excluded.  Be- 
sides,  my  opinion  differs  from  that  of  Dr.  D.  in 


184 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Value  of  the  apple.       Swallowing-  stones  and  seeds  of  fruits. 

regard  to  the  strength  of  the  digestive  powers  of 
children.  After  teething,  they  seem  to  me  to  be 
able  to  digest  any  substances  which  adults  can; 
and  with  as  little  difficulty. 

But  to  return  : — No  fruit  is  in  perfection  longer 
than  the  apple.  Besides,  no  fruit  appears  to  be 
less  injured  in  its  nature  and  properties  by  picking 
it  a  little  before  it  is  ripe,  and  preserving  it  during 
the  winter.  It  is  on  this  account,  more  perhaps 
than  any  other,  that  I  value  it  more  highly  than 
all  other  fruits  united. 

Apples  may  be  used  either  raw  or  cooked.  In 
either  case,  the  skins  and  seeds  should  be  avoided, 
as  has  been  before  suggested.  I  am  not  ignorant 
that  Willich,  in  his  "  Lectures  on  Diet  and 
Regimen  " — an  excellent  work,  in  the  main — says 
that  the  seeds  ought  to  be  eaten ;  but  I  believe  few 
physiologists  would  comply  with  his  injunction, 
especially  when  it  is  considered  that  he  recom- 
mends, in  the  same  connection,  that  we  swallow 
the  stones  of  cherries  and  plums.  Strange  how 
far  our  theories  will  sometimes  carry  us  ! 

The  apple  is  excellent  when  roasted  or  baked, 
especially  the  sweet  apple.  It  is  very  common, 
in  some  places,  to  eat  baked  sweet  apples  with 
milk  ;  and  the  practice  is  a  good  one.  Indeed, 
baked  apples  might  be  advantageously  made  a 


FOOD. 


185 


An  anecdote.  Cutting  down  orchards  unnecessary. 

part  of  at  least  one  of  our  meals  every  day. 
There  is  a  miserly  farmer — a  single  gentleman — 
in  the  western  part  of  the  state  of  Massachusetts, 
who  has  lived  on  nothing  but  apples  for  his  food, 
and  water  for  his  drink,  about  forty  years.  And 
yet  he  is  said  to  enjoy  the  most  perfect  health.  I 
do  not  propose  this  as  an  example  worthy  of  imi- 
tation ;  but  it  shows  that  apples  may  be  made 
to  subserve  an  important  purpose  in  diet.  And 
though  I  have  more  than  once  expressed  an  opinion 
highly  unfavorable  to  the  exclusive  use  of  any  one 
article  of  diet,  yet  if  I  were  to  confine  myself 
to  any  one  thing,  I  know  of  nothing  except  bread 
that  I  should  prefer  to  good  apples.  Still,  how- 
ever, I  prefer  a  variety — sweet,  sour,  early,  late, 
&lc.  ;  and  I  should  use  them  raw,  roasted,  baked, 
made  into  sauce  with  new  or  unfermented  cider, 
and  boiled.  Good  apples,  eaten  raw,  with  bread, 
form  not  only  a  very  wholesome,  but  to  an  unper- 
verted  appetite,  a  most  delicious  dinner. 

Much  has  been  said  about  cutting  down  or- 
chards ;  but  the  whole  seems  to  me  idle ;  for  if  the 
fruit  is  of  a  good  quality,  it  may  be  used  as  food, 
either  for  man  or  beast.  And  if  not  good,  the 
trees  ought  either  to  be  destroyed  or  replaced 
by  those  that  will  produce  fruit  which  is  better, 


186 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Pears.  Skins  of  pears  and  apples.  Peaches. 

even  if  the  object  were  to  make  it  into  cider. 
I  have  said  that  apples  may  be  used  both  by  man 
and  beast.  It  is  well  known  that  most  domestic 
animals  thrive  well  on  good  apples,  especially 
sweet  ones.  Very  tolerable  molasses  is  also  some- 
times made  from  sweet  apples. 

Nearly  everything  which  has  been  said  above 
in  regard  to  apples,  will  apply  to  pears.  The 
best  varieties  of  this  excellent  fruit  are  quite  as 
nutritious  and  wholesome  as  the  apple ;  and  as 
much  improved  for  the  table  by  baking.  I  be- 
lieve, however,  that  no  cheap  process  has  yet 
been  devised  for  keeping  them  as  long  in  the 
winter.  They  may  be  preserved  in  the  form  of 
sauce,  prepared  in  the  same  way  with  common 
apple  sauce.  The  skins  of  many  kinds  of  pears 
are  less  injurious  than  those  of  apples  ;  but  even 
the  skins  of  pears  need  not  be  eaten. 

Some  kinds  of  peaches  are  tolerably  whole- 
some ;  but  the  stringy  character  of  their  pulp 
appears  to  me  to  render  them  less  so  than  apples 
and  pears ;  though  I  am  not  confident  on  this 
point.  But  if  used  at  all,  they  should  be  used 
in  less  quantity  at  one  time.  Tempting  as  their 
flavor  is,  I  seldom  eat  them,  when  I  can  get  apples 
and  pears ;  holding  myself  in  duty  bound  to  use 
the  best,  even  of  the  fruits. 


FOOD. 


187 


Mr.  Locke's  opinion.  Melons — peaches — plums. 

"  Fruit,"  says  Mr.  Locke,  "  makes  one  of  the 
most  difficult  chapters  in  the  government  of  health, 
especially  that  of  children.  Our  first  parents  ven- 
tured Paradise  for  it;  and  it  is  no  wonder  our 
children  cannot  stand  the  temptation,  though  it  cost 
them  their  health.  The  regulation  of  this  cannot 
come  under  any  one  general  rule  ;  for  I  am  by  no 
means  of  their  mind  who  would  keep  children 
wholly  from  fruit,  as  a  thing  totally  unwholesome 
for  them,  by  which  strict  way  they  make  them 
but  the  more  ravenous  after  it,  to  eat  good  or  bad, 
ripe  or  unripe,  all  that  they  can  get,  whenever 
they  come  at  it. 

"  Melons,  peaches,  most  sorts  of  plums,  and  all 
sorts  of  grapes,*  in  England,  I  think  children 
should  be  wholly  kept  from,  as  having  a  very 
tempting  taste,  in  a  very  unwholesome  juice,  so 
that,  if  it  were  possible,  they  should  never  so 
much  as  see  them,  or  know  that  there  was  any 
such  thing.  But  strawberries,  cherries,  gooseber- 
ries and  currants,  when  thoroughly  ripe,  I  think 
may  be  pretty  safely  allowed  them." 

Excellent  as  these  remarks  are,  in  general,  I  do 
not  like  his  entire  interdiction  of  the  use  of  mel- 
ons, peaches,  plums  and  grapes,  even  in  England. 
Peaches,  to  be  sure,  as  they  come  at  a  season 
when  apples  or  pears,  or  both  of  them— which 


188 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Eating  all  sorts  of  fruits.  A  common  mistake. 

are  more  wholesome  than  peaches — are  abundant, 
may  be  better  omitted,  delicious  as  they  are  to 
the  taste ;  and  I  do  not  think  very  highly  of  plums. 
But  melons,  in  very  moderate  quantity,  and  grapes, 
if  we  eat  nothing  but  the  ripe  pulp,  rejecting  both 
the  husk  and  the  interior  hard  part,  including  the 
seeds,  are,  I  think,  useful  and  wholesome.  On 
the  other  hand,  I  should  never  place  cherries  and 
gooseberries  in  the  same  list  with  strawberries ;  for 
the  latter  are,  if  I  may  use  the  expression,  infi- 
nitely the  most  wholesome. 

Many  seem  to  think  that  not  to  eat  all  sorts  of 
fruits  is  to  despise,  or  at  least  to  treat  with  neglect 
the  gifts  of  God,  intended  for  our  reception  ;  by 
which  they  mean,  if  they  mean  anything,  that  the 
use  of  all  sorts  of  fruits  is  already  found  out,  even 
in  the  present  comparative  infancy  of  the  world. 
Now  I  do  not  suppose  that  God  has  made  any- 
thing in  vain — absolutely  so — though  I  do  not 
think  we  have  found  out  the  true  uses  of  half  the 
things  which  he  has  made  and  given  us.  And 
among  those  things  of  whose  use  we  are  yet  igno- 
rant, are  some  of  the  fruits.  I  do  not  believe  it 
follows,  necessarily,  that  because  fruits  are  created, 
we  are  obliged  to  use  them  all. 

Besides  this,  if*  rule,  it  is  a  rule  which  nobody 
follows.    Every  one  uses  more  of  some  sorts,  and 


FOOD. 


189 


Mixing  other  substances  with  fruits.  Why  improper. 

fewer  of  others ;  and  a  large  proportion  of  the 
community  entirely  reject  some  kinds.  Now  if 
the  statement  commonly  made,  that  all  fruits  are 
the  gifts  of  God,  and  ought  therefore  to  be  used 
by  all  persons,  is  correct,  those  who  make  the 
statement*ought  to  conform  to  it  as  a  rule  of  their 
lives,  and  to  eat  all  kinds  of  fruit  which  the 
season  and  country  affords ;  and  not  only  eat  all 
kinds,  but  see  that  the  whole  of  every  kind  is 
consumed ;  since  to  waste  any  portion  is  to  slight 
the  good  gifts  of  God. 

The  result  then  is,  that  we  cannot  obey  such  a 
rule  ;  but  are  driven  back  to  the  mode  which 
common  sense  dictates,  which  is,  to  make  a  selec- 
tion, using  some  and  rejecting  others.  And  the 
value  of  studying  the  nature  of  these  fruits,  by 
examining  the  experience  of  mankind  in  regard 
to  them,  consists  in  the  aid  thus  afforded  us  in 
making  our  selection  wisely. 

There  is  one  very  common  error  in  the  use  of 
the  smaller  summer  fruits,  such  as  strawberries, 
whortleberries,  currants,  &c,  which  is,  that  of 
mixing  cream,  wine,  spices,  sugar,  &c.  with- 
them.  We  are  thus  tempted  to  eat  too  great  a 
quantity  at  once.  Besides — which  is  a  worse  evil 
— we  change  the  proportions  of  the  saccharine 
parts,  and  thus  do  all  in  our  power,  by  increasing 


190 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


What  is  here  meant  by  confectionary.       Is  it  poisonous  ? 

a  similarity  in  all  fruits,  to  destroy  that  agreeable 
variety  which  God  has  established,  and  which  is 
probably  salutary. 

Sec.  10.  Confectionary. 

• 

By  confectionary  we  here  mean  the  substances 
usually  sold  at  those  shops  in  our  cities  distin- 
guished by  the  general  name  of  confectionaries, 
and  which  consist  either  wholly  of  sugar,  or  of 
sugar  and  some  other  substances  combined. 

As  to  the  use  of  a  moderate  quantity  of  pure 
sugar  at  our  meals,  whether  it  is  procured  at  a 
confectioner's  shop  or  elsewhere,  I  do  not  know 
that  there  is  any  strong  objection  to  it ;  though  I 
believe  that  it  cannot  be  regarded  as  indispensable 
to  health ;  for  were  that  the  fact,  it  seems  to  me 
to  imply  something  short  of  infinite  wisdom  in  the 
creation  of  articles  destined  for  our  sustenance. 
But  I  have  spoken  on  this  subject  elsewhere. 

A  part,  however,  of  the  contents  of  the  con- 
fectionary shop  are  actually  poisonous.  I  refer 
to  those  things  which  are  either  frosted,  as  it  is 
called,  or  colored.  The  substances  applied  to  the 
sugar  for  this  purpose  are  usually  some  mineral  or 
vegetable  poison ;  although  the  fact  of  its  being  a 
poison  may  not  always  be  known  to  the  manufac- 


FOOD. 


191 


Case  in  New  York.  Sweetmeats.  Explanation. 

turer.  The  most  unhappy  consequences  have 
occasionally  followed  the  use  of  confectionary, 
when  poisoned  in  this  manner.  A  family  of  four 
persons,  in  New  York,  were  made  sick  in  this 
way  in  March  of  the  last  year,  and  some  of  them 
came  very  near  losing  their  lives.  The  "frosting" 
which  caused  the  mischief  was  pronounced  by 
eminent  chemists  to  be  one  fifth  rank  poison.* 
The  coloring  substances  used  are  sometimes  poi- 
sonous, as  well  as  the  frosting. 

Some  of  the  articles  sold  at  these  shops  consist 
of  sugar  mixed  with  paste.  Others  are  called 
sweetmeats ;  that  is,  fruits,  or  rinds  of  fruits,  pre- 
served in  sugar.  All  these  substances,  I  believe, 
without  exception,  are  injurious. 

The  great  evils  of  confectionary  yet  remain  to 
be  mentioned.  These  are  of  three  kinds,  physi- 
cal, MENTAL  and  MORAL. 


*  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  those  who  eat  confec- 
tionary so  slightly  poisoned  that  it  does  not  make  them 
sick  at  once,  may  nevertheless  be  as  much  injured  in 
their  constitutions  as  they  who  are  poisoned  outright. 
In  the  latter  case,  the  poison  is  in  part  thrown  out  of  the 
body  ;  in  the  former,  it  remains  in  it  much  longer, — and 
therefore  more  surely,  though  more  slowly,  accom- 
plishes the  work  of  destruction. 


192 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Physical  evils  of  confectionary.  Intellectual  evils. 

Some  of  the  physical  evils  have,  it  is  true,  just 
been  mentioned ;  but  there  is  another  evil  of  still 
greater  magnitude.  Young  people  who  eat  con- 
fectionary, commonly  eat  it  between  meals.  This 
produces  mischief  in  two  ways.  First,  it  keeps 
the  stomach  at  work  when  it  ought  to  rest ;  for 
this,  like  every  other  muscular  organ,  requires  its 
seasons  of  repose.  Secondly,  it  destroys  gradu- 
ally the  appetite  ;  so  that  when  the  regular  meal 
arrives,  the  accustomed  keenness  of  appetite  does 
not  come  with  it.  And  the  consequence  is,  not 
so  much  that  we  do  not  eat  enough,  as  that  we 
are  fastidious,  and  eat  a  little  of  this,  then  a  little 
of  that ;  and  usually  select  the  worst  things.  We 
are  not  hungry  enough  to  make  a  meal  of  a  single 
article  of  plain  food.  And  this  evil  goes  on  in- 
creasing, as  long  as  we  have  access  to  the. confec- 
tionary shop.  These  statements  describe  the  case 
of  thousands  of  pupils,  of  both  sexes,  at  our 
schools  and  seminaries. 

The  intellectual  evil  resulting  from  the  use  of 
confectionary  consists  in  the  fondness  for  excite- 
ment which  is  produced.  You  will  seldom  find  a 
person  who  depends  daily  and  almost  hourly  on 
some  excitement  to  his  appetite  and  stomach,  and 
is  not  satisfied  with  plain  food,  who  will  content 


FOOD. 


193 


Moral  tendency  of  confectionary. 

himself  to  study  without  unnatural  excitements  of 
the  jnind.  Duty  to  himself  or  others  will  not 
move  him.  He  must  have  before  him  the  hope 
of  reward,  or  the  fear  of  punishment.  He  must 
be  moved  by  emulation  or  ambition,  or  some  other 
questionable  or  wicked  motive  or  passion. 

But  the  moral  results,  to  the  young,  of  using 
confectionary,  are  still  more  dreadful.  I  do  not 
here  refer  to  the  danger  of  meeting  with  bad  com- 
pany at  the  shops  themselves,  or  of  going  from 
these  places  of  pollution  directly  to  the  grogshop, 
the  gambling  house  or  the  brothel ;  though  there 
is  danger  enough,  even  here.  But  I  allude  to  the 
tendency  which  a  habit  of  not  resting  satisfied 
with  plain  food,  but  of  depending  on  exciting 
things  has,  to  make  us  dissatisfied  with  plain  moral 
enjoyments — the  society  of  friends,  and  the  quiet 
discharge  of  our  duty  to  God  and  our  neighbor. 
Just  in  proportion  as  we  gratify  our  propensity 
for  excitement  at  the  confectioner's  shop,  just  in 
the  same  proportion  do  we  expose  ourselves  to 
the  danger  of  yielding  to  temptation,  should  other 
gratifications  present  themselves.  The  young  of 
both  sexes  who  are  in  the  use  of  confectionary, 
are  on  the  high  road  to  gluttony,  drunkenness, 
or  debauchery;  perhaps  to  all  three.  I  do  not 
say  they  will  certainly  arrive  there,  for  circum- 
13 


194 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Appeal  to  mothers  and  teachers.  Pastry. 

stances  not  quite  miraculous  may  pluck  them  as 
C(  brands  from  the  burning;"  but  I  do  not  hesitate 
to  say  that  such  is  the  inevitable  tendency ;  and 
I  call  on  every  mother  and  teacher  who  reads 
this  section,  to  beware  of  confectionaries,  and 
see,  if  possible,  that  the  young  never  set  foot 
in  them.  They  are  a  road  through  which  thou- 
sands pass  to  the  chamber  of  death — death  to 
the  immortal  spirit,  as  well  as  to  the  body,  its 
vehicle. 

More  might  be  added — for  this  is  an  important 
subject — but  I  trust  I  have  said  enough.  Those 
who  have  read  and  believe  what  I  have  written, 
if  they  remain  wholly  unaffected  and  unmoved, 
would  not  be  roused  to  effort  were  anything  to  be 
added. 

Sec.  11.  Pastry. 

Dr.  Paris,  a  distinguished  British  writer  on  diet, 
says  that  all  pastry  is  "  an  abomination."  And 
yet,  go  where  we  will,  we  find  it  often  on  the 
table.  Hardly  any  one,  whether  old  or  young, 
attempts  to  do  without  it. 

There  are  indeed  some,  who  will  not  eat  pie- 
crust, or  high  seasoned  cakes  formed  of  paste  ; 
but  yet  will  not  hesitate  to  eat  hot  bread,  or  rolls, 


FOOD. 


195 


Hot  bread,  with  butter.  Eruptions  on  the  face. 

or  biscuits,  made  of  wheat  flour,  bolted.  Now 
what  i"s  this  but  paste  ?  If  we  could  see  the  con- 
tents of  the  stomach,  an  hour  after  the  mass  is 
swallowed,  we  should  find  it  to  be  paste,  and 
mere  paste. 

And  yet  the  evil  is  increasing  everywhere.  So 
generally  is  this  true,  that  a  person  who  refuses  to 
eat  hot  bread,  or  cake,  or  biscuit,  is  deemed  sin- 
gular. He  who  ventures  to  lift  his  voice  against 
it  is  deemed  an  ascetic  or  a  visionary.  But  such 
a  voice  must  be  raised,  and  heard,  too,  whether  its 
monitions  are  or  are  not  regarded. 

Pastry  is  less  objectionable,  however,  when  used 
in  the  form  of  hot  bread,  &c,  than  when  butter  or 
fat  is  mixed  with  it.  Then  it  becomes  one  of  the 
most  indigestible  substances  in  the  world.  Be- 
sides, it  not  only  tries  the  patience  of  the  stomach, 
but  according  to  Willich,  whose  authority  ranks 
high,  it  tends  to  produce  diseases  of  the  skin,  es- 
pecially a  disease  which  he  calls  "  copper  in  the 
face,"  and  which  he  pronounces  incurable. 

I  know  not  whether  the  eruptions  so  common 
on  the  faces  of  young  people  in  this  country,  and 
especially  of  young  men,  are  in  every  instance 
either  produced  or  aggravated  by  pastry ;  but  I 
am  very  sure  of  one  thing,  viz.,  that  those  who 
are  in  the  use  of  pastry>  and  have  eruptions  of  the 


196 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Example  of  mothers.  Of  using-  raw  vegetables. 

skin  of  any  kind,  will  not  be  apt  to  get  well,  as 
long  as  they  continue  the  use  of  this  objectionable 
substance. 

Physicians  are  often  consulted  about  eruptions 
on  the  face.  When  they  assign  the  real  cause, 
which  is  undoubtedly  connected  with  the  improper 
gratification  of  some  of  the  appetites,  in  one  way 
or  another,  it  is  seldom  that  the  patient  has  self- 
command  enough  to  follow  his  prescription  of 
temperance  or  abstinence.  Mothers,  it  is  yours 
to  prevent  this  mischief; — first,  by  establishing 
correct  physical  habits ;  secondly,  by  teaching 
your  children  the  great  duty  of  self-denial — not 
only  by  precept,  but  by  your  own  good  example. 

Sec.  12.    Crude  or  Raw  Substances. 

I  have  reserved  this  section  for  remarks  on 
certain  articles  used  at  our  fashionable  modern 
tables,  of  which  I  could  not  well  find  it  convenient 
to  speak  elsewhere.  And  first  of  sallads,  and 
herbs  used  in  cooking ;  such  as  asparagus,  arti- 
chokes, spinage,  plaintain,  cabbage,  dock,  lettuce, 
watercresses,  chives,  &c. 

Several  of  these  substances  are  often  eaten  raw, 
in  which  state  they  are  exceedingly  indigestible, 
at  the  best;  and  they  are  rendered  still  more 


FOOD. 


197 


Nuts  in  general.  Boiled  chesnuts.  Spices. 

beyond  the  reach  of  the  powers  of  the  stomach, 
by  the  oil  or  vinegar  which  is  added  to  them. 
Boiled,  they  are  more  tolerable  ;  especially  aspara- 
gus. In  the  midst,  however,  of  such  an  abundance 
of  excellent  food  as  this  country  affords,  it  is  most 
surprising  that  any  body  should  ever  take  it  into 
their  heads  to  eat  such  crude  substances ;  and 
above  all,  that  they  should  fill  children's  stomachs 
with  them.  What  child,  with  an  unperverted 
appetite,  would  not  prefer  a  good  ripe  apple,  or 
peach,  or  pear,  to  the  most  approved  raw  sal- 
lads  ? — and  a  good  baked  one  to  the  best  boiled 
asparagus  ? 

Nuts,  in  general,  are  probably  made  for  other 
animals  rather  than  man ;  though  of  this  we  can- 
not in  the  present  infancy  of  human  knowledge  be 
quite  certain.  But  if  any  of  them  were  intended 
by  the  Creator  for  man,  it  is  the  chesnut ;  and 
this  should  be  boiled.  Boiled  chesnuts  are  used 
as  food  in  many  parts  of  southern  Europe,  and  to 
a  very  considerable  extent. 

*  Spices,  as  they  are  usually  called,  such  as 
nutmeg,  mace,  pepper,  pimento,  cubebs,  carda- 
moms, juniper  berries,  ginger,  calamus,  cloves, 
cinnamon,  caraway,  coriander,  fennel,  parsley,  dill, 
sage,  marjoram,  thyme,  pennyroyal,  lavender,  hys- 
sop, peppermint,  &c.  are  unfit  for  the  human 


198 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Other  objectionable  articles.       May  be  useful  as  medicines. 

stomach — above  all  in  infancy — except  as  medi- 
cines. 

There  are  several  other  vegetables  equally  ob- 
jectionable with  the  last,  though  they  cannot  be 
classed  under  the  same  head.  Such  are  mustard, 
horseradish,  raw  onions,  garlic,  cucumbers,  and 
pickles.  No  appetite  which  has  not  been  accus- 
tomed to  these  substances  in  early  infancy  will 
ever  require  them.  Not  that  they  may  not  some- 
times be  useful,  in  enabling  the  stomach — at  every 
age — to  get  rid  of  certain  substances  with  which  it 
has  been  improperly  or  unreasonably  loaded ;  this 
is  undoubtedly  the  fact ; — ardent  spirits  would  do 
the  same.  And  it  is  with  a  view  to  some  such 
effect,  generally,  that  medical  writers  have  spoken 
in  their  favor.  Some  of  them  stimulate  the  stom- 
ach to  get  rid  of  a  load  of  green  fruit  ;•  others,  of 
a  load  of  fat  or  salt  food ;  others  again,  of  too 
large  a  quantity  of  food  which  is  naturally  whole- 
some. 

But  in  all  these  cases,  they  should  be  consid- 
ered not  as  food,  but  as  medicine ;  and  we  ought 
to  call  them  by  their  right  name.  And  if  we 
withhold  the  cause  of  the  disease,  there  will  be  no 
need  of  the  medicine. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DRINKS. 


Little  drink  needed.  Few  adults  drink  to  quench  thirst. 

Children  need  little  if  any  drink,  so  long 
as  their  food  is  nothing  but  milk ;  nor  indeed  for 
some  time  afterward,  unless  they  are  indulged  in 
the  use  of  animal  food.  Adults,  even,  very  sel- 
dom drink  merely  to  quench  natural  thirst.  In 
the  summer,  people  usually  drink  either  to  cool 
themselves,  or  to  gratify  a  thirst  which  is  wholly 
artificial.  Tea,  coffee,  beer,  cider,  and  most  other 
common  drinks,  when  not  used  for  the  sake  of 
their  coolness,  are  drank,  both  in  winter  and  sum- 
mer, for  this  purpose. 

That  this  is  the  fact,  we  have  the  most  abundant 
and  unequivocal  evidence.  I  know  that  much  is 
said  of  the  demand  which  a  profuse  perspiration 
creates  among  hard  laborers  in  the  summer.  Such 
a  sudden  abstraction  of  a  large  amount  of  fluid, 
requires,  it  is  said,  a  proportional  supply,  or  life 
would  soon  become  extinct.  Yet  there  are  many 
old  men  who  have  sweat  profusely  at  their  labor 
all  their  days,  and  yet  have  drank  nothing  at  all, 


200  THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 

Water  the  only  necessary  drink.  Opinion  of  Dr.  Oliver. 

except  their  tea,  morning  and  evening ;  and  per- 
haps have  eaten,  for  one  or  two  of  their  meals 
daily,  in  summer,  a  bowl  of  bread  and  milk.  And 
some  of  them  are  among  the  most  remarkable  in- 
stances of  longevity  which  the  country  affords. 

How  the  system  acquires  a  sufficient  supply  of 
moisture  to  keep  up  good  health,  in  these  cases,  I 
do  not  pretend  to  determine ;  perhaps  it  is  through 
the  medium  of  the  lungs.  But  at  any  rate,  it  can 
obtain  it  without  our  drinking  for  that  sole  pur- 
pose, to  the  great  danger  of  exciting  liver  com- 
plaints, diarrhoea,  dyspepsia,  colds,  rheumatisms 
and  fevers. 

But  if  adults  who  perspire  freely  do  not  require 
much  drink,  children  certainly  do  not;  and  above 
all,  young  children.  And  if  .they  do  require  any- 
thing, it  is  only  simple  water.  The  following 
remarks  of  Dr.  Oliver,  of  Hanover,  N.  H.,  are 
extracted  from  Dr.  Mussey's  late  Prize  Essay  on 
Ardent  Spirits: 

"  Who  has  not  observed  the  extreme  satisfaction 
which  children  derive  from  quenching  their  thirst 
with  pure  water?  And  who  that  has  perverted 
his  appetite  for  drink,  by  stimulating  his  palate  with 
bitter  beer,  sour  cider,  rum  and  water,  and  other 
beverages  of  human  invention,  but  would  be  a 
gainer,  even  on  the  score  of  mere  animal  gratifica- 


DRINKS. 


201 


Children  drink  to  quench  thirst.  Opinion  of  Dr.  Dewees. 

tion,  without  any  reference  to  health,  if  he  could 
bring  back  his  vitiated  taste  to  the  simple  relish  of 
nature  ? 

"  Children  drink  because  they  are  dry.  Grown 
people  drink,  whether  dry  or  not,  because  they 
have  discovered  a  way  of  making  drink  pleasant. 
Children  drink  water  because  this  is  a  beverage  of 
nature's  own  brewing,  which  she  has  made  for  the 
purpose  of  quenching  a  natural  thirst.  Grown 
people  drink  anything  but  water,  because  this 
fluid  is  intended  to  quench  only  a  natural  thirst, 
and  natural  thirst  is  a  thing  which  they  seldom 
feel." 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  truth,  as  w$ll  as  of 
sound  philosophy,  in  these  two  paragraphs ;  and 
little  less  of  truth  in  the  following  briefer  para- 
graph from  Dr.  Dewees : 

"  We  have  witnessed  very  often,  with  sorrow, 
parents  giving  to  their  young  children  wine,  or 
other  stimulating  liquors.  Nature  never  intended 
anything  stronger  than  water  to  be  the  drink  for 
children.  This  they  enjoy  greatly;  and  much 
advantage  is  occasionally  experienced  from  its  use, 
especially  after  they  have  commenced  the  use  of 
animal  food." 

Two  things  are  to  be  observed  in  the  last 
remarks,  which  are,  that  children  demand  drink 


202 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Only  one  drink  in  the  world.  Proper  object  of  all  drink. 

of  any  kind  but  seldom,  and  that  even  this  occa- 
sional demand  is  often  the  special  result  of  the  use 
of  animal  food.  Here  comes  out  an  important 
secret.  It  is  the  use  of  animal  food,  to  a  very- 
great  degree,  in  adults  and  children  both,  that  cre- 
ates so  much  of  that  unnatural  thirst  which  prevails 
in  the  community.  When  we  shall  come  to  lay 
aside  animal  food,  in  childhood,  youth,  manhood 
and  age,  much  that  is  now  called  thirst  will  be 
banished  ;  and  much  of  the  intemperance  and  other 
kinds  of  sensuality  which  follow  in  its  train. 

It  has  been  sometimes  said  that  there  is  but  one 
kind  of  drink  in  the*  world  ;  and  that  is  water. 
This  is  strictly,  or  rather  physiologically  true. 
For,  though  many  mixtures  are  called  drinks,  it  is 
only  the  water  which  they  contain  that  answers 
any  of  the  legitimate  purposes  for  which  drink  was 
intended  by  the  Creator. 

The  object  of  drink,  besides  quenching  our 
thirst,  or  rather  while  it  quenches  it,  is  not  to  be 
digested  like  food — but  to  pass  directly  from  the 
stomach  into  the  blood  vessels,  and  dilute  and 
temper  the  blood,  rendering  it  more  fit  to  answer 
the  great  purpose  of  sustaining  life  and  health. 
Now  there  is  nothing  that  can  do  this  but  water. 
Alcohol  cannot  do  it,  nor  can  turpentine,  oil, 
quicksilver,  melted  lead,  or  any  other  liquid. 


DRINKS. 


203 


•   Tea,  coffee,  &c.       Milk  and  water.       Molasses  and  water. 

Tea,  coffee,  chocolate,  small  beer,  soda  water, 
lemonade,  &c,  which  are  nearly  all  water,  quench 
the  thirst  very  well,  it  is  true  ;  but  not  quite  so 
well  as  water  alone  would.  The  narcotic  principle 
of  the  first  two,  the  alcoholic  principle  of  the  fourth, 
and  the  mucilage,  nutriment,  acid,  and  alkali  of  the 
rest,  are  in  the  way;  for  thirst  would  be  quenched 
still  better  without  them,  even  when  it  is  of  an 
unnatural  kind. 

Indeed,  the  same  or  similar  remarks  may  be 
made  in  regard  to  all  other  mixtures  which  are 
usually  proposed  as  drinks.  Even  milk  and  water, 
molasses  and  water,  &c,  in  favor  of  which  so  much 
is  said,  are  objectionable,  as  mere  drinks.  Not 
that  they  contain  anything  poisonous,  but  they 
evidently  contain  nutriment ;  and  even  this,  except 
as  a  part  or  the  whole  of  a  regular  meal,  does 
harm ;  for  it  sets  the  stomach  at  work  when  it 
needs  repose.  Mere  drink,  as  I  have  already  said, 
is  never  digested. 

But  if  the  drinks  above  mentioned,  and  even  milk 
and  water,  are  objectionable,  what  shall  we  say  of 
cider,  wine  and  ardent  spirits  ? — substances  which 
contain,  the  latter  one  half,  and  the  two  former 
from  one  twentieth  to  one  fourth  alcohol.  Surely 
nobody  will  deny  that  these  substances  ought,  at 
all  events,  to  be  banished  from  the  nursery.  And 


204 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Artificial  thirst.  Natural  tastes  of  children. 

yet  we  occasionally  find  them  there,  not  only  for 
the  use  of  the  mother,  to  the  ruin  of  the  child, 
indirectly — but  also,  in  some  of  their  smoother 
forms,  for  the  use  of  the  child  itself. 

I  would  not  lay  too  much  stress  on  food  and 
drink ;  for,  as  I  have  already  observed,  more  than 
once,  the  causes  of  infantile  ill  health  and  mortal- 
ity are  numerous.  Still  I  must  insist  that,  of  all 
the  sources  of  disease,  these  are  the  most  prolific. 
Much  is  done  towards  ruining  the  health  of  chil- 
dren by  the  improper  food  and  drink  of  the  mother. 
But  when,  in  addition  to  all  this,  the  children  them- 
selves are  early  fed  with  animal  food,  and  with 
stimulating  drinks — punch,  coffee,  tea,  &c. — and 
an  artificial  thirst  is  early  excited  and  rendered 
habitual,  their  destruction;  for  time  and  eternity,  is 
almost  inevitable. 

Very  few  children  relish  any  drink  but  water,  or 
sweetened  water,  at  first ;  and  where  they  do,  it  is 
probably  hereditary.  I  have  been  struck  with  their 
tastes  and  preferences ;  nor  less  with  the  folly  of 
those  around  them,  in  endeavoring  to  change  them, 
by  requiring  them — almost  always  against  their 
will — to  sip  a  little  coffee,  or  a  little  tea,  or  a  little 
lemonade  ;  or,  it  may  be,  a  little  toddy.  Such 
children  may  escape  the  death  of  the  drunkard  or 


DRINKS. 


205 


Hot  drinks.  Cold  ones.  Avoid  extremes. 

the  debauchee  ;  but  if  they  do,  it  will  not  be 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the  parents. 

I  am  very  much  opposed  to  giving  children 
hot  drinks  of  any  kind.  If  they  are  to  drink 
substances  which  are  injurious,  as  tea  or  coffee, 
let  them  be  cool.  I  do  not  say  cold,  for  that 
would  be  going  to  the  other  extreme.  But  no 
drink,  in  any  ordinary  case,  should  be  above  the 
heat  of  our  bodies  ;  that  is,  about  98  degrees  of 
Fahrenheit's  thermometer.  Yet  the  precautions 
of  this  paragraph  will  be  almost  unnecessary,  if 
children  are  confined — as  they  ought  to  be,  and 
would  be,  did  we  not  go  out  of  our  way  to  teach 
them  otherwise — to  water,  as  their  only  drink. 
Cold  water  is  almost  always  preferred.  Not  one 
child  in  a  thousand  would  ever  prefer  it  hot,  until 
his  taste  had  been  perverted.  No  writer  has 
inveighed  more  against  hot  drinks  of  every  kind, 
than  the  late  William  Cobbett — and,  as  I  think, 
with  more  justice. 

But,  in  avoiding  one  rock,  we  must  not,  as  has 
already  been  intimated,  make  shipwreck  on  another. 
Hot  drinks,  though  they  injure  the  powers  of  th& 
stomach,  and  by  that  means,  and  through  that 
medium,  are  one  principal  cause  of  the  almost 
universal  early  decay  of  teeth,  are  yet  less  inju- 
rious, or  at  least  less  dangerous,  immediately,  than 


206 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Drinking-  when  hot.        Produces  fevers  and  other  diseases. 

cold  ones.  Mr.  Locke,  in  speaking  of  the  sports 
of  children,  in  the  open  air,  has  the  following 
quaint,  but  judicious  remarks  : 

"  Playing  in  the  open  air  has  but  this  one  danger 
in  it,  that  I  know,  and  that  is,  that  when  he  is  hot 
with  running  up  and  down,  he  should  sit  or  lie 
down  on  the  cold  or  moist  earth.  This,  I  grant, 
and  drinking  cold  drink,  when  they  are  hot  with 
labor  or  exercise,  brings  more  people  to  the  grave, 
or  to  the  brink  of  it,  by  fevers  and  other  diseases, 
than  anything  I  know.  These  mischiefs  are  easily 
enough  prevented,  when  he  is  little,  being  then 
seldom  out  of  sight.  And  if,  during  his  childhood, 
he  be  constantly  and  rigorously  kept  from  sitting 
on  the  ground,  or  drinking  any  cold  liquor,  while 
he  is  hot,  the  custom  of  forbearing,  grown  into 
habit,  will  help  much  to  preserve  him,  when  he  is 
no  longer  under  his  maid's  or  tutor's  eye. 

"  More  fevers  and  surfeits  are  got  by  people's 
drinking  when  they  are  hot,  than  by  any  one  thing 
I  know.  If  he  (the  child)  be  very  hot,  he  should 
by  no  means  drink ;  at  least  a  good  piece  of  bread 
first  to  be  eaten,  will  gain  time  to  warm  his  drink 
blood  hot,  which  then  he  may  drink  safely.  If 
he  be  very  dry,  it  will  go  down  so  warmed,  and 
quench  his  thirst  better  ;  and  if  he  will  not  drink 
it  so  warmed,  abstaining  will  not  hurt  him.  Be- 


DRINKS. 


207 


Tendency  of  little  indulgences.  Opinion  of  Locke. 

sides,  this  will  teach  him  to  forbear,  which  is  a 
habit  of  the  greatest  use  for  health  of  mind  and 
body  too.55 

The  last  remarks  are  full  of  wisdom.  Mothers 
may  depend  upon  it,  that  every  indulgence  to 
which  they  accustom  their  children,  paves  the  way 
for  habitual  indulgence ;  and  has  a  tendency  to 
lead,  indirectly,  to  indulgence  in  other  matters  ; 
and  on  the  contrary,  every  self-denial  which  they 
can  lead  children  to  exercise,  voluntarily — even  in 
these  e very-day  matters  of  food,  drink,  exercise, 
&lc. — is  so  much  gained  in  the  great  work  of  self- 
denial,  and  the  resisting  of  temptation  in  matters 
of  higher  importance.  But  I  must  not  moralize 
too  long  ;  having  dwelt  on  the  same  point  under 
the  head  Confectionary.  I  proceed,  therefore,  to 
make  a  few  more  extracts  from  Mr.  Locke  : 

"  Not  being  permitted  to  drink  without  eating, 
will  prevent  the  custom  of  having  the  cup  often  at 
his  nose — a  dangerous  berinnino;." 

"  Men  often  bring  habitual  hunger  and  thirst  on 
themselves  by  custom." 

"  You  may,  if  you  please,  bring  any  one  to  be 
thirsty  every  hour." 

"  I  once  lived  in  a  house,  where,  to  appease  a 
froward  child,  they  gave  him  drink  as  often  as  he 
cried,  so  that  he  was  constantly  bibbing.  And 


208 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Drink  as  little  as  possible.  Drinking-  at  school. 

though  he  could  not  speak,  yet  he  drank  more  in 
twenty-four  hours  than  I  did." 

"  It  is  convenient,  for  health  and  sobriety,  to 
drink  no  more  than  natural  thirst  requires  ;  and  he 
that  eats  not  salt  meats,  nor  drinks  strong  drink, 
will  seldom  thirst  between  meals." 

Great  mischief  is  often  done  to  their  health  by 
children  at  school ;  and  one  instance  of  this  is,  in 
getting  violently  heated  with  exercise,  and  then 
pouring  down  large  quantities  of  cold  water  to  cool 
themselves.  I  once  made  it  a  habitual  rule  for 
pupils,  that  they  must  drink  water,  if  they  drank 
it  at  all,  on  leaving  their  seats  to  go  to  their  plays, 
but  not  afterwards  :  and  I  was  so  situated  that  I 
could  prevent  the  law  from  being  broken ;  as  there 
was  no  spring  or  well  to  which  they  could  have 
access,  privately.  And  though  they  thought  the 
rule  rather  severe,  I  have  no  doubt  it  saved  them 
from  much  injury,  and  perhaps  sometimes  from 
sickness. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

GIVING  MEDICINE. 


Prevention  of  disease  easier  than  cure. 

So  much  error  prevails  in  regard  to  the  medical 
management  of  the  young,  that  a  volume  might 
be  written  without  exhausting  the  subject.*  My 
present  limits  and  plan  allow  of  only  a  few  re- 
marks, and  those  must  be  general. 

That  "  an  ounce  of  prevention  is  worth  a  pound 
of  cure,"  has  so  long  ago  become  a  proverb,  that 
it  seems  almost  idle  to  repeat  the  sentiment.  And 
yet  it  is  to  be  feared  that  very  few  receive  it  as  a 
practical  truth,  in  the  management  of  children. 
Now  nothing  is  more  certain,  than  that  it  is  easier, 
as  well  as  more  humane,  to  prevent  diseases  than 
to  cure  them. 

I  have  elsewhere  mentioned  the  opinion  of  a 
very  eminent  physician,  that  nine  in  ten  of  chil- 
dren's diseases  may  be  imputed  to  error  with  re- 
gard to  the  quantity  or  the  quality  of  their  food. 


*  Such  a  volume  is  in  preparation.    It  is  intended  as 
a  companion  to  the  present. 
14 


210 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


General  directions.  How  to  detect  diseases  early. 

For  myself,  I  am  by  no  means  certain  that  nine 
out  of  ten  is  the  exact  proportion,  though  I  think 
the  number  is,  at  all  events,  very  large.  Few 
children,  or  even  grown  persons,  are  seized  with 
disease  suddenly.  Their  progress  towards  it  is 
always  gradual,  and  sometimes  imperceptible.  To 
a  physician  of  any  tolerable  degree  of  skill,  how- 
ever, there  is  no  difficulty  in  observing  and  point- 
ing out  the  first  steps  towards  illness,  in  those 
whose  habits  of  life  are  well  knowrn  to  him,  and  of 
foretelling  the  consequence. 

But  since  parents  and  nurses  are  not  so  well 
qualified  as  physicians  to  make  these  observations, 
I  will  endeavor  to  point  out  a  few  certain  signs 
and  symptoms  by  which  they  may  know  a  child's 
health  to  be  declining,  even  before  he  appears 
to  be  sick. — For  if  these  are  neglected,  the  evil 
increases,  goes  on  from  bad  to  worse,  and  more 
violent  and  apparent  complaints  will  follow,  and 
perhaps  end  in  incurable  diseases,  which  a  timely 
remedy,  or  a  slight  change  in  the  diet  and  manner 
of  life,  would  have  infallibly  prevented. 

"The  first  tendency  to  disease,"  says  Dr.  Cado- 
gan,  "may  be  observed  in  a  child's  breath.  It  is 
not  enough  that  the  breath  be  not  offensive;  it 
should  be  sweet  and  fragrant,  like  a  nosegay  of 
fresh  flowers,  or  a  pail  of  new  milk  from  a  young 


GIVING  MEDICINE. 


211 


The  breath  of  animals.        Foul  breath  of  man.  Causes. 

cow  that  feeds  upon  the  sweetest  grass  of  the 
spring  ;  and  this  as  well  at  first  waking  in  the 
morning,  as  all  day  long."  * 

There  is  much  of  truth  in  these  remarks;  but  if 
they  are  wholly  true,  then  very  few  children  are 
perfectly  healthy.  For  no  child  that  eats  much 
animal  food  of  any  sort,  or  what  amounts  to  nearly 
the  same  thing,  much  butter  or  gravy,  will  long 
retain  the  fragrant  breath  here  alluded  to.  Who 
has  not  observed  the  difference,  in  this  respect, 
between  animals  in  general  which  feed  on  flesh, 
and  those  which  feed  on  grass  ?  And  whether  it 
is  the  character  of  their  respective  food  that  makes 
the  difference  or  not,  it  is  also  true  that  there  is 
nearly  as  much  difference  of  breath  between  men 
who  use  animal  food  and  those  who  do  not,  as 
between  other  animals.  The  breath  of  some  of 
our  enormous  meat  eaters  would  almost  remind 
one  of  a  slaughter  house. 

Nor  is  it  the  quality  of  food  alone,  that  will 
induce  a  foul  breath,  either  in  adults  or  infants. 
He  who  swallows  such  enormous  quantities,  even 
of  plain  food,  as  by  overloading  and  fatiguing  the 
stomach,  tend  gradually  to  debilitate  it,  will  pro- 
duce the  same  effect.    The  enormous  feeders  of 


*  Buchan's  "Advice  to  Mothers,"  pages  337,  338, 


212 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


When  the  breath  indicates  disease.  Use  of  a  physician. 

this  full  feeding  country,  whether  they  are  young 
or  old,  whether  they  inhabit  the  mountain  or  the 
vale,  and  whether  they  feed  on  animal  food  or  not, 
have  generally  a  bad  breath  ;  and  if  they  seldom 
offend,  it  is  because  few  feed  otherwise.  And  it 
is  not  too  much — in  my  own  opinion — to  say  of 
this  whole  class  of  gormandizers,  no  less  than  of 
the  flesh  eaters,  that  they  have  laid  for  themselves 
the  foundation  of  future  diseases. 

One  general  rule  may  here  be  distinctly  laid 
down.  As  a  child's  breath  becomes  hot  and  fever- 
ish, or  strong,  or  acid,  we  may  be  certain  that 

indigestion  and  surfeit  have  fouled  and  disturbed 
the  blood ;  and  now  is  the  time  to  apply  a  proper 
remedy,  and  prevent  a  train  of  impending  evils. 
Let  the  child  be  restrained  in  its  food.  Let  it  eat 
less,  live  upon  milk  or  thin  broth  for  a  day  or  two, 
and  be  carried,  or  walk  if  it  is  able,  a  little  more 
than  usual  in  the  open  air."  # 

This  rule  is  the  more  important  because,  if  duly 
persevered  in,  it  will  generally  prevent  disease,  and 
save  the  trouble  and  evil  consequences  of  taking 
medicine  at  all.  Meanwhile  it  will  be  advisable 
to  call  in  a  physician — not  to  give  drugs,  but  to 
prevent  the  necessity  of  giving  them.    There  is  a 


*  Advice  to  Mothers,  page  338. 


GIVING  MEDICINE. 


Making  the  patient  sick  by  dosing.     Economy  of  a  physician. 

foolish  fear  abroad  that  physicians,  if  called  before 
a  person  is  violently  sick,  will  dose  him  with  their 
drugs,  as  a  matter  of  course,  till  they  make  him 
sick.  But  this,  no  judicious  physician  will  ever 
do.  It  may  have  been  done,  though  I  believe  it 
has  been  seldom.  The  more  general  course  is  to 
defer  calling  for  medical  advice,  till  it  is  too  late  to 
use  preventive  means  ;  and  medicine  is  then  re- 
sorted to  by  the  physician,  as  a  sort  of  necessary 
evil. 

A  judicious  physician,  seasonably  called  in, 
would  in  many  instances  save  a  severe  fit  of  sick- 
ness, besides  a  great  deal  of  expense,  both  of  time 
and  money. 

But  if  the  first  symptoms  of  approaching  disease 
are  overlooked — if  the  child  is  fed,  or  rather 
crammed,  with  solid  food  as  much  as  ever — and  if 
no  medical  advice  is  sought,  his  sleep  will  soon 
become  disturbed ;  he  will  be  talking,  starting,  and 
tumbling  about,  and  will  have  frightful  dreams ;  or 
he  will  at  other  times  be  found  smiling  and  laugh- 
ing. To  these,  in  the  end,  may  be  added  loss  of 
appetite,  paleness,  emaciation,  weakness,  cough 
and  consumption  ;  or  colics,  worms  and  convul- 
sions. 

I  do  not  undertake  to  say  that  the  most  judicious 
parental  management,  aided  by  the  greatest  medi- 


214 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Diseases  sometimes  inherited.        May  usually  be  prevented. 

cal  skill,  will  always  prevent  disease — far  from  it. 
The  child  may,  and  undoubtedly  sometimes  does 
inherit  a  tendency  to  a  particular  disease ;  or  he 
may  be  made  sick  by  error  in  regard  to  dress,  ex- 
ercise, &c.  But  so  long  as  nine  tenths  of  the 
disease  and  early  mortality  of  the  young  might 
be  prevented  by  due  attention  to  all  these  means 
.  combined,  so  long  will  it  be  necessary  to  reiterate 
the  sentiments  of  the  present  section. 


CHAPTER  X. 

EXERCISE. 


Objections  to  the  use  of  the  cradle. 

This  subject  may  be  considered  under  the  fol- 
lowing heads :  rocking  in  the  cradle  ;  carry- 
ing in  the  arms;  crawling;  walking;  riding 
in  a  carriage  ;  and  riding  on  horseback. 
These  I  shall  consider  in  their  order. 

Sec.  1.    Rocking  in  the  Cradle. 

There  are  two  opinions  in  regard  to  the  use  of 
the  cradle  in  the  nursery.  Some  condemn  it  alto- 
gether ;  others  think  its  occasional  use  highly  pro- 
per. Those  who  condemn  it,  do  it  chiefly  on  the 
ground  that  it  produces  a  whirling  motion  of  the 
brain,  which,  while  it  inclines  to  giddiness  and  lulls 
to  sleep,-  disturbs,  in  some  degree,  the  process  of 
digestion. 

It  seems  to  me  that  there  is  weight  to  this  ob- 
jection ;  and  although  the  cradle  has  been  exten- 
sively used  without  producing  any  obviously  evil 
effects,  I  should  greatly  prefer  to  have  it  univer- 


216 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Reasons  for  its  disuse.  The  best  kind  of  cradle. 

sally  laid  aside.  As  far  as  mere  amusement  is 
demanded,  it  is  quite  unnecessary,  since  there  are 
so  many  amusements  which  are  far  better.  As  a 
means  of  inducing  sleep,  I  am  still  more  strongly 
opposed  to  it, — for  if  a  child  be  rationally  treated 
in  every  other  respect,  it  will  never  need  artificial 
means  to  induce  it  to  sleep.  Nature  will  then  be 
the  most  appropriate  directress  in  this  matter. 

If  there  is  a  cradle  in  a  nursery,  it  is  almost 
always  full  of  clothes  loaded  with  air  more  or  less 
impure,  and  the  child  is  buried  in  it  more  than  is 
compatible  with  health,  even  in  the  judgment  of 
the  mother  or  the  nurse  ;  for  so  convenient  is  its 
use,  and  so  great  the  temptation  to  keep  the  child 
in  it,  that  he  will  often  be  found  soaking  there  a 
large  proportion  of  his  time.  Every  one  knows 
that  the  air  has  not  so  free  access  to  a  child  in 
the  cradle  as  elsewhere,  especially  if  it  have  a  kind 
of  covering  or  hood  to  it,  as  we  often  see.  Be- 
sides, the  cradle  is  a  piece  of  furniture  which  takes 
up  a  great  deal  of  space  in  the  nursery ;  and  every 
one  who  has  made  the  trial  effectually,  will,  it  seems 
to  me,  greatly  prefer  its  room  to  its  company. 

If  any  cradle  is  to  be  used,  those  are  best  wrhich 
are  suspended  by  cords,  and  are  swung,  rather 
than  rocked.  And  this  swinging  should  be  in  a 
line  with  the  body  of  the  child  as  much  as  possi- 


EXERCISE. 


217 


Best  exercise  for  infants.       Quieting-  with  cordials  and  opiates. 

ble ;  as  this  motion  is  less  likely  to  produce  injury 
than  its  opposite. 

Sec.  2.    Carrying  in  the  Arms. 

This  is  the  most  appropriate  exercise  for  the 
first  two  months  of  existence ;  and  indeed,  one  of 
the  best  for  some  time  afterward. 

Although  a  healthy,  thriving  child  ought  to 
sleep,  for  some  time  after  birth,  from  two  thirds  to 
three  fourths  of  his  time,  yet  it  should  never  be 
forgotten  that  the  demand  for  proper  exercise  dur- 
ing the  rest  of  the  time,  is  not  the  less  imperious 
on  this  account ;  but  probably  the  more  so. 

I  have  already  mentioned  the  importance  of 
bathing,  wrhich  is  one  form  of  exercise,  and  of  gen- 
tle motion  in  the  arms,  immediately  afterward. 
The  same  gentle  motion  should  be  often  repeated 
during  the  day ;  care  being  taken  to  hold  the  child 
in  such  a  position  as  will  be  easy  to  him  and  favora- 
ble to  the  free  exercise  of  all  his  limbs  and  muscles. 

There  are  many  mothers  and  nurses  who  not 
only  rejoice  that  the  infant  inclines  to  sleep  a  great 
deal,  since  it  gives  them  more  ,  liberty,  but  who 
take  pains  to  prolong  these  hours  beyond  what 
nature  requires,  by  artificial  means.  I  refer  not 
only  to  the  use  of  the  cradle,  but  to  means  still 


218 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Exercise  at  ten  days  old.  The  body  horizontal. 

more  artificial — the  use  of  cordials  and  opiates,  to 
which  I  have  already  adverted.  But  whatever 
the  means  used  may  be,  they  defeat  the  purposes 
of  nature,  and  are  in  the  highest  degree  reprehen- 
sible. Nothing  but  tfie  most  chilling  poverty  should 
prevent  the  mother  from  having  the  child — for  a 
few  weeks  of  its  first  existence  at  least — in  her  own 
arms,  nearly  all  the  time  which  is  not  absolutely 
demanded  for  repose.  She  should  even  invite  it 
to  wakefulness,  rather  than  encourage  sleep. 

Attention  to  exercise  ought  to  be  commenced 
before  the  child  is  more  than  ten  days  old.  For 
this  purpose  he  should  be  placed  on  his  back,  on  a 
pillow,  in  order  that  the  body  may  rest  at  as  many 
points  as  possible.  In  this  position  he  has  the 
opportunity  to  move  his  limbs  with  the  most  perfect 
freedom,  and  to  exercise  his  numerous  muscles. 
There  is  nothing  more  important  to  the  infant — 
not  even  sleep  itself — than  the  action  of  all  his 
muscles;  and  nothing  contributes  more  to  his  rapid 
growth. 

At  first,  the  body  should  be  kept,  while  on  the 
arm,  in  nearly  a  horizontal  position,  with  the  head 
perhaps  a  very  little  elevated ;  but  after  a  few 
weeks,  it  will  be  proper  to  change  the  position  for 
a  small  part  of  the  time ;  placing  the  body  so  that 
it  may  form  an  angle  of  a  few  degrees  with  the 


EXERCISE. 


219 


Error  of  nurses.  Physiological  advice  to  mothers. 

horizon.  When  this  is  done,  however,  it  should 
always  be  by  placing  the  hand  against  the  shoul- 
ders and  head,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  support  well 
the  back ;  for  it  is  extremely  injurious  to  suffer  the 
feeble  spine  to  sustain,  at  this  early  period,  any 
considerable  weight. 

Still  more  erroneous  is  the  practice  of  some 
careless  nurses,  to  carry  the  child  quite  upright  a 
part  of  the  time,  almost  without  any  support  at  all. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  spinal  column  of 
many  a  child  is  injured  for  life  in  this  way.  There 
can  be  no  apology  for  such  things. 

But  it  is  not  sufficient  to  denounce,  merely,  the 
custom  of  holding  the  infant's  body  in  an  erect 
position.  Every  inquiring  mother — and  it  is  for 
such,  and  no  other,  that  I  write — will  naturally 
and  properly  ask  the  reason  why. 

The  child  is  not  born  with  all  its  bones  solid. 
Some  are  mere  cartilage  for  a  considerable  time. 
This  is  the  case  with  the  bones  of  the  back.  Now 
every  person  must  see  that  the  weight  of  the  child's 
head  and  shoulders  resting  for  a  considerable  time 
on  the  slender  cartilaginous  spinal  column  may 
easily  bend  it.  And  a  curvature,  thus  given,  may, 
and  often  does,  deform  children  for  life. 

Dr.  Dewees  mentions  a  nurse  who,  from  a  fool- 
ish fondness  for  displaying  them,  made  the  children 


220 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Distorting  the  spine.  Other  dangers. 

consigned  to  her  charge  sit  perfectly  upright  before 
they  were  a  month  old.  It  is  truly  ludicrous,  he 
says,  to  see  the  little  creatures  sitting.as  straight 
as  if  they  were  stiffened  by  a  back  board.  It  is 
truly  horrible,  I  should  say,  rather  than  ludicrous. 
Crooked  spines  must  be  the  inevitable  conse- 
quence, if  nothing  worse. 

The  practice  of  bracing  children,  as  it  is  called, 
by  straps,  back  boards,  corsets,  &c,  where  it  has 
produced  any  effect  at  all,  has  always  had  a  ten- 
dency to  crook  the  spine.  This  may  be  seen  first 
by  observing  one  shoulder  to  be  lower  than  the 
other,  and  next,  by  a  projection  of  the  part  of  the 
shoulder  blades  next  to  the  spine.  Whenever 
these  changes  begin  to  appear,  it  is  time  to  send 
for  a  physician,  though  it  may  often  be  too  late  to 
effect  a  cure.  But  on  the  general  subject  of  bra- 
cing and  corseting,  I  have  treated  at  sufficient 
length  elsewhere. 

There  is  another  error  committed  in  carrying 
children  in  the  arms.  The  head  of  the  infant  is 
often  permitted  either  to  hang  constantly  on  one 
side,  or  to  roll  about  loosely,  as  if  it  hardly  be- 
longed to  the  body.  In  the  former  case  there  is 
danger  of  producing  a  habit  of  holding  the  head 
upon  one  side,  which  it  will  be  very  difficult  to 
overcome  5  in  the  latter,  the  spinal  marrow  itself 


EXERCISE. 


221 


Gentle  motion.  No  tossing.  Running-  and  jumping. 

may  be  injured ;  which  would  produce  alarming 
and  perhaps  fatal  consequences. 

But  all  these  evils,  as  has  already  been  said,  may 
be  prevented  if  the  hand  is  placed  so  as  to  support 
the  head  and  shoulders.  Let  not  the  mother, 
however,  who  reads  this  work,  trust  the  matter 
wholly  to  a  nurse ;  she  must  see  to  it  herself;  ehe 
she  incurs  a  most  fearful  responsibility.  The  sug- 
gestions I  have  made  are  the  more  important  in 
the  case  of  children  either  very  fleshy  or  very  fee- 
ble, and  of  those  disposed  to  rickets  or  scrofula  • 
but  they  are  important  to  all. 

I  have  said  that  the  motion  of  the  child  on  the 
arm  should  be  gentle.  Many  are  in  the  habit  of 
tossing  infants  about.  There  can  be  no  objection 
to  a  slight  and  slow  movement  up  and  down,  for  a 
minute  or  so  at  a  time  ;  indeed,  it  is  rather  to  be 
recommended,  as  likely  to  give  strength  and  vigor 
no  less  than  pleasure  to  the  child.  But  when  such 
movements  are  carried  to  excess,  so  as  to  frighten 
the  child,  they  are  highly  reprehensible.  The 
shock  thus  produced  to  the  nervous  system  has 
sometimes  been  so  great  as  to  produce  sudden 
death.  Nor  is  it  safe  to  run,  jump,  or  descend 
stairs  hastily  or  violently,  with  a  child  in  our  arms ; 
and  for  similar  reasons. 


222 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


We  must  creep  before  we  can  walk.  Why. 

Infants  should  not  be  carried  always  on  the  same 
arm,  for  there  is  danger  of  contracting  a  habit  of 
leaning  to  one  side,  and  thus  of  becoming  crooked. 
On  this  account,  the  arm  on  which  they  rest  should 
be  often  changed.  Nor  should  they  be  grasped 
too  firmly.  A  skilful  mother  will  hold  a  child 
quite  loosely,  with  the  most  perfect  safety  ;  while 
an  inexperienced  one  will  grasp  him  so  hard  as  to 
expose  the  soft  bones  to  be  bent  out  of  their  place, 
and  yet  be  quite  as  liable  to  let  him  fall  as  she  who 
handles  him  with  more  ease  and  freedom. 


Sec.  3.  Crawling. 

"  Mankind  must  creep  before  they  can  walk,"  is 
an  old  adage  often  used  to  remind  us  of  that  patient 
application  which  is  so  indispensable  to  secure  any 
highly  important  or  valuable  end.  But  it  is  as 
true  literally,  as  it  is  figuratively.  The  act  of 
crawling  exercises  in  a  remarkable  degree  nearly 
all  the  muscles  of  the  body  ;  and  this,  too,  without 
much  fatigue. 

Some  mothers  there  indeed  are,  who  think  it  a 
happy  circumstance  if  a  child  can  be  tauglit  to 
walk  without  this  intermediate  step.  But  such 
mothers  must  have  strange  ideas  of  the  animal 


EXERCISE. 


223 


Pleasures  of-self-direction.  Crawling — its  importance. 

economy.  They  must  never  have  thought  of  the 
pleasure  which  crawling  affords  the  mind,  or  of 
the  vigor  it  imparts  to  the  body. 

Children  are  wonderfully  pleased  with  their  own 
voluntary  efforts.  What  they  can  do  themselves, 
yields  them  tenfold  greater  pleasure  than  if  done 
by  the  mother  or  the  nurse.  Yet  the  latter  are 
exceedingly  prone  to  forget  or  overlook  all  this  ; 
and  to  say,  at  least  practically,  that  the  only  proper 
efforts  are  those  to  which  themselves  give  direction. 

They  are,  moreover,  exceedingly  fond  of  display. 
Some  mothers  seem  to  act — in  all  they  do  with 
and  for  children — as  if  all  the  latter  were  good  for, 
was  display  and  amusement.  They  feed  them, 
indeed,  and  strive  to  prolong  their  existence  ;  but 
it  appears  to  be  for  similar  reasons  to  those  which 
would  lead  them  to  take  kind  care  of  a  pet  lamb.  • 

It  is  on  this  account  that  they  dress  them  out  in 
the  manner  they  do,  strive  to  make  them  sit  up 
straight,  and  prohibit  their  crawling.  It  is  on  this 
account  too,  as  much  perhaps  as  any  other,  that 
go-carts  and  leading  strings  are  put  in  such  early 
requisition.  The  contrary  would  be  far  the  safer 
extreme  ;  and  the  parent  who  keeps  his  child 
scrambling  about  upon  his  back  as  long  as  he  can, 
and  when  he  cannot  prevent  longer  an  inversion 
of  this  position,  retains  him  at  creeping  as  long 


224 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


This  rule  urged  on  young  mothers.        Attempts  to  stand. 

as  in  his  power,  is  as  much  wiser  in  comparison 
with  him  who  urges  hirn  forward  to  make  a  pro- 
digy of  him,  as  he  is  who,  instead  of  making  his 
child  a  prodigy  in  mind  or  morals  at  premature 
age,  holds  him  back,  and  endeavors  to  have  his 
mental  and  moral  nature  developed  no  faster  than 
his  physical  frame. 

I  wish  young  mothers,  would  settle  it  in  their 
minds  at  once,  that  the  longer  their  children  crawl 
the  better.  They  need  have  no  fears  that  the 
force  of  habit  will  retain  them  on  their  knees  after 
nature  has  given  them  strength  to  rise  and  walk  ; 
for  their  incessant  activity,  and  incontrollable  rest- 
lessness will  be  sure  to  rouse  them  as  early  as  it 
ought.  Least  of  all  ought  the  difficulty  of  keeping 
them  clean,  to  move  them  from  the  path  of  duty. 

Children  who  are  allowed  to  crawl  will  soon  be 
anxious  to  do  more.  We  shall  presently  see  them 
taking  hold  of  a  chair  or  a  table,  and  endeavoring 
to  raise  themselves  up  by  it.  If  they  fail  in  a 
dozen  attempts,  they  do  not  give  up  the  point ; 
but  persevere  till  their  efforts  are  crowned  with 
success. 

Having  succeeded  in  raisino;  themselves  from 
the  floor,  they  soon  learn  to  stand,  by  holding  to 
the  object  by  which  they  have  raised  themselves. 
Soon,  they  acquire  the  art"  of  standing  without 


EXERCISE. 


225 


Crooked  legs  and  feet.       How  caused.      Teaching  to  walk. 

holding  ; #  ere  long  they  venture  to  put  forward 
one  foot;  they  then  repeat  the  effort,  and  walk  a 
little,  holding  at  the  same  time  by  a  chair ;  and 
lastly  they  acquire,  with  joy  to  them  inexpressible, 
and  to  us  inconceivable,  the  art  of  "  trudging " 
alone. 

When  children  learn  to  walk  in  nature's  own 
way,  it  is  seldom  indeed  that  we  find  them  with 
curved  legs,  or  crooked  or  clubbed  feet.  These 
deformities  are  almost  universally  owing  either  to 
the  mother  or  the  nurse. 

Let  me  be  distinctly  understood  as  utterly 
opposed,  not  only  to  go-carts,  leading  strings,  and 
every  other  mechanical  contrivance,  to  induce  chil- 
dren to  walk  before  their  legs  are  fit  for  it,  but  to 
efforts  of  every  kind,  whose  main  object  is  the 
same.  Teaching  them  to  walk  by  taking  hold  of 
one  of  their  hands,  is  in  some  respects  quite  as  bad 
as  any  other  mode  ;  for  if  the  child  should  fall 


*  The  art  of  standing,  which  consists  in  balancing 
one's  self  by  means  of  the  muscles  of  the  body  and 
lower  limbs — simple  as  it  may  seem  to  those  who  have 
never  reflected  on  the  subject — is  really  an  important 
acquisition  for  a  child  of  twelve  or  fifteen  months.  No 
wonder  they  feel  a  conscious  pride,  when  they  find 
themselves  able  to  stand  erect,  like  the  world  about  them. 
15 


226 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Falls  to  be  expected.       Holding-  by  things.       Going1  abroad. 

while  we  have  hold  of  his  hand,  there  is  some 
danger  of  dislocating  or  otherwise  injuring  the  limb. 

Falls  we  must  expect;  but  if  a  child' is  left  to 
his  own  voluntary  efforts  as  much  as  possible,  these 
falls  will  be  fewer,  and  probably  less  serious  than 
under  any  other  circumstances. 

Sec.  4.  Walking. 

¥  The  way  to  learn  to  write  without  ruled 
lines  is  to  rule"  was  the  frequent  saying  of  an  old 
schoolmaster  whom  I  once  knew ;  and  I  may  say 
with  as  much  of  confidence,  and  with  more  of 
truth,  that  "  the  way  for  a  child  to  learn  to  walk 
alone,  is  to  hold  by  things." 

I  have  anticipated,  in  previous  pages,  much  of 
what  might  otherwise  have  been  contained  in  this 
section.  A  few  additional  remarks  are  all  that 
will  be  necessary. 

At  first,  the  nursery  will  be  quite  large  enough 
for  our  young  pedestrian.  Much  time  should 
elapse  before  he  is  permitted  to  go  abroad  upon 
the  green  grass; — not  lest  the  air  should  reach  him, 
or  the  sun  shine  upon  his  face  and  hands,  but  be- 
cause the  surface  of  the  ground  is  so  much  less  firm 
and  regular  than  the  floor,  that  he  ought  to  be  quite 
familiar  with  walking  on  the  latter,  in  the  first  place. 


EXERCISE. 


227 


Foolish  fears.  Calves  and  lambs  in  carriages. 

But  when  he  can  walk  well  in  the  play  ground, 
garden,  fields  and  roads,  it  is  highly  desirable  that 
he  should  go  out  more  or  less  every  day,  when 
the  weather  will  possibly  admit ;  nor  would  I  be 
so  fearful  as  many  are  of  a  drop  of  rain  or  dew, 
or  a  breath  of  wind.  For  say  what  they  will  in 
favor  of  riding,  sailing,  and  other  modes  of  exer- 
cise, there  is  none  equal  to  walking,  as  soon  as  a 
child  is  able — none  so  natural,  none,  in  ordinary 
cases,  so  salutary.  I  know  it  is  unpopular,  and 
therefore  our  young  master  or  young  miss  must 
be  hoisted  into  a  carriage,  or  upon  the  back  of  a 
horse,  to  the  manifest  danger  of  health  or  limbs, 
or  both. 

Who  of  us  ever  knew  a  herdsman  or  a  shepherd 
who  found  it  for  the  health  and  well  being  of  the 
young  calf  or  lamb,  to  hoist  it  into  a  carriage,  and 
carry  it  through  the  streets,  instead  of  suffering 
it  to  walk  ?  Such  a  thing  would  excite  astonish- 
ment ;  and  the  man  who  should  do  it  would  be 
deemed  insane.  The  health  and  growth  of  our 
young  domestic  animals  is  best  promoted  by  suf- 
fering them  to  w7alk,  run  and  skip  in  their  own 
way.  They  ask  no  artificial  legs,  or  horses,  or 
carriages.  But  would  it  not  be  difficult  to  find 
arguments  in  favor  of  carrying  children  about, 
when  they  are  able  to  walk;  which  would  not  be 


228 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Over-fatigue.  Where  the  line  of  safety  is. 

equally  strong  in  favor  of  carrying  about  lambs 
and  calves  and  pigs  ? 

This  is  the  more  remarkable,  from  the  consid- 
eration elsewhere  urged,  that  in  general,  we  take 
more  rational  pains  about  the  physical  well  being 
of  domestic  animals  than  of  children.  However, 
it  will  be  seen,  on  a  little  reflection,  that  the  num- 
ber of  those  who  carry  children  about  is,  after  all, 
very  inconsiderable.  The  greater  portion  of  the 
community  regard  it  as  too  troublesome  or  costly ; 
and  if  poverty  brought  with  it  no  other  evils  than 
a  permit  to  children  to  walk  on  the  legs  which  the 
Creator  has  given  them,  it  could  hardly  be  deemed 
a  misfortune. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add,  that  there  will  be 
nothing  gained  to  the  young — or  to  persons  of  any 
age — from  walks  which  are  very  long  and  fatiguing. 
Walking  should  refresh  and  invigorate  :  when  it  is 
carried  beyond  this,  especially  with  the  young 
child,  we  have  passed  the  line  of  safety. 

Sec.  5.    Riding  in  Carriages. 

It  will  be  seen,  by  the  foregoing  section,  that  I 
am  not  very  friendly  to  the  use  of  carriages  for  the 
young,  after  they  can  walk.  Before  this  period, 
however,  I  think  they  may  be  often  serviceable  ^ 


EXERCISE. 


229 


Construction  of  carriages.  Motion.  Position. 

and  there  are  occasional  instances  which  may  ren- 
der them  useful  afterward.  On  this  account,  I 
have  thought  it  best  to  give  the  following  general 
directions. 

Carriages  for  children  should  be  so  constructed 
as  not  to  be  liable  to  overset.  To  this  end  the 
wheels  must  be  low,  and  the  axle  unusually  ex- 
tended. The  body  should  be  long  enough  to 
allow  the  child  to  lie  down  when  necessary ;  and 
so  deep  that  he  may  not  be  likely  to  fall  out. 
Everything  should  be  made  secure  and  firm,  to 
avoid,  if  possible,  the  danger  of  accidents. 

The  carriage  should  be  drawn  steadily  and  slow- 
ly; not  violently,  or  with  a  jerking  motion.  Such 
a  place  should  be  selected  as  will  secure  the  child 
— if  necessary — from  the  full  blaze  of  a  hot  sun. 
This  point  might  indeed  be  secured  by  having  the 
carriage  covered ;  but  I  am  opposed  to  covered 
carriages,  for  children  or  adults,  unless  we  are 
compelled  to  ride  in  the  rain. 

While  the  child  is  unable  to  sit  up  without  in- 
jury, and  even  for  some  months  afterwards,  he 
ought  by  all  means  to  lie  down  in  a  carriage, 
because  it  requires  more  strength  to  sit  in  a  seat 
which  is  moving,  than  in  a  place  where  he  is  sta- 
tionary. In  assuming  the  horizontal  position,  in  a 
carriage,  a  pillow  is  needed,  and  such  other  arrange- 
ments as  will  prevent  too  much  rolling. 


230 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Sitting  up.     Clothing1.     Falling  asleep.     Riding — how  long. 

After  the  child's  strength  will  fairly  permit,  he 
may  sit  up  in  the  carriage,  but  he  ought  still  to  be 
secured  against  too  much  motion.  As  his  strength 
increases,  however,  the  latter  direction  will  be  less 
and  less  necessary.  I  need  not  repeat  in  this 
place,  (had  I  not  witnessed  so  many  accidents  from 
neglect,)  the  caution  recently  given,  that  great  care 
should  be  taken  to  prevent  the  child  from  falling 
out  of  the  carriage. 

While  children  are  riding  abroad  in  cold  weath- 
er, much  pains  should  be  taken  to  see  that  they 
are  suitably  clothed.  It  is  well  to  keep  them  in 
motion,  while  they  are  in  the  carriage,  and  espe- 
cially to  guard  against  their  falling  asleep  in  the 
open  air,  until  they  have  become  very  much  accus- 
tomed to  being  out  in  it. 

It  has  been  said  by  some  writers,  that  a  ride 
ought  never  to  exceed  the  length  of  half  an  hour; 
but  no  positive  rule  can  be  given,  except  to  avoid 
over-fatigue. 

Sec.  6.    Riding  on  Horseback. 

When  children  are  very  young,  I  think  it  both 
improper  and  unsafe  to  take  them  abroad  on  horse- 
back ;  I  mean  so  long  as  they  are  in  health.  In 
case  of  disease,  this  mode  of  exercise  is  sometimes 
one  of  the  most  salutary  in  the  world. 


EXERCISE. 


231 


Riding  schools.  Objections  to  riding1  on  horseback. 

But  after  boys  are  six  or  seven  years  old,  and 
girls  ten,  if  they  are  ever  to  practise  horsemanship, 
it  is  time  for  them  to  begin ;  both  because  they 
are  less  apt  to  be  unreasonably  timid  at  this  age, 
and  because  they  learn  much  more  rapidly. 

So  few  parents  are  good  horsemen,  that  if  there 
is  a  riding  school  at  hand,  I  should  prefer  placing 
a  child  in  it  at  once.  But  I  wish  to  be  distinctly 
understood,  that  I  do  not  consider  it  a  matter  of 
importance,  especially  to  females,  that  they  should 
ever  learn  to  ride  at  all. 

Some  of  the  principal  objections  to  riding  on 
horseback,  by  boys,  as  an,  ordinary  exercise,  are 
the  following : 

1.  Walking,  as  I  have  already  intimated,  is  one 
of  the  most  healthy  modes  of  exercise  in  the 
world.  It  is  nature's  exercise ;  and  was  unques- 
tionably in  exclusive  use  long  before  universal 
dominion  was  given  to  man,  if  not  for  many  cen- 
turies afterward ;  and  I.  believe  it  would  be  very 
difficult  to  prove  that  it  interfered  at  all  with 
human  longevity  ;  for  the  first  of  our  race  lived 
almost  a  thousand  years. 

2.  Young  children,  in  riding  on  horseback,  are 
rather  apt  to  acquire,  rapidly,  the  habit  of  domi- 
neering over  animals.  It  seems  almost  need- 
less to  say  how  easy  the  transition  is,  in  such 


232 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER, 


Avoid  fostering  the  spirit  of  slavery. 

cases,  should  opportunity  offer,  from  tyranny  over 
the  brute  slave,  to  tyranny  over  the  human  being. 
There  are  slave-holders  in  the  family  and  in  the 
school,  as  well  as  elsewhere.  It  is  the  spirit  of  a 
person  which  makes  him  either  tyrant  or  slave- 
holder. And  let  us  beware  how  we  foster  this 
spirit  in  the  children  whom  God  has  given  us. 


CHAPTER  XL 


AMUSEMENTS. 


Amusements  indispensable.  Definition  of  our  term. 

However  heterodox  the  concession  may  be,  I 
am  one  of  those  who  believe  amusements  of  some 
sort  or  other  to  be  universally  necessary.  Indeed 
I  cannot  possibly  conceive  of  an  individual  in 
health,  whatever  may  be  the  age,  sex,  condition 
or  employment,  who  does  not  need  them,  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree. 

Now  if  by  the  term  amusement,  I  only  meant 
employment,  nobody  would  probably  differ  from 
me,  at  least  in  theory.  Every  one  is  ready  to 
admit  the  importance  of  being  constantly  employed. 
A  mind  unemployed  is  a  vacant  mind.  And  a 
vacant  or  idle  mind  is  "the  devil's  workshop;" 
so  says  the  proverb. 

By  amusement,  however,  I  mean  something 
more  than  mere  employment ;  for  the  more  con- 
stantly an  adult  individual  is  employed,  the  greater, 
generally,  is  his  demand  for  amusement.  Indolent 
persons  have  less  need  of  being  amused  than 
others ;  but  perhaps  there  are  few  if  any  persons 


234 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Fondness  for  amusement.  Its  quality.  Its  nature.' 

to  be  found,  who  are  so  indolent  as  not  to  think 
continually,  on  one  subject  or  another.  And  it  is 
this  constant  thinking,  more  than  anything  else, 
that  creates  the  necessity  of  which  I  am  speaking. 
The  mere  drudge,  whether  biped  or  quadruped, — 
he,  I  mean,  whose  thinking  powers  are  scarcely 
alive, — has  little  need  of  the  relief  which  is 
afforded  by  amusement. 

The  young  of  all  animals — man  among  the  rest 
— appear  to  have  such  an  instinctive  fondness  for 
amusement,  that  so  long  as  they  are  unrestrained, 
they  seldom  need  any  urging  on  this  point.  In 
regard  to  quality,  the  case  is  somewhat  different. 
In  this  respect,  most  children  require  attention  and 
restraint ;  and  some  of  them  a  great  deal  of  it. 

But  what  is  the  nature  of  the  amusement  which 
adults — nay,  mankind  generally — require  ?  I  an- 
swer, it  is  relief  from  the  employment  of  thinking. 
For  it  is  not  that  mankind  do  not  really  think 
at  all,  that  moralists  complain  so  loudly.  When 
they  tell  us  that  men  will  not  think,  they  mean 
that  they  will  not  think  as  rational  beings.  They 
think,  indeed ;  and  so  do  the  ox,  and  the  horse, 
and  the  dog,  and  the  elephant ;  but  not  as  rational 
men  ought  to  do ;  and  this  it  is  that  constitutes  the 
burden  of  complaint.  But  you  will  probably  find 
few  persons  belonging  to  the  human  species  who 


AMUSEMENTS. 


235 


Necessity  of  amusement  to  children.  A  great  error. 

do  not  think  constantly,  at  least  while  awake  ;  and 
whose  mental  powers  do  not  become  fatigued,  and 
demand  relief  in  amusement. 

Children's  minds  are  so  soon  wearied  by  a  con- 
tinuous train  of  thinking,  even  on  topics  which  are 
pleasing  to  them,  that  they  can  seldom  be  brought 
to  give  their  attention  to  a  single  subject  long  at 
once.  They  require  almost  incessant  change;  both 
for  the  sake  of  relief,  and  to  amuse  for  the  sake  of 
amusement.  And  it  is,  to  my  own  mind,  one  of 
the  most  striking  proofs  of  Infinite  Wisdom  in  the 
creation  of  the  human  mind,  that  it  has,  during 
infancy,  such  an  irresistible  tendency  to  amusement. 

How  greatly  do  they  err,  who  grudge  children, 
especially  very  young  children,  the  time  which,  in 
obedience  to  the  dictates  of  their  nature,  they  are 
so  fond  of  spending  in  sports  and  gambols  !  How 
much  more  rational  would  it  be  to  encourage  and 
direct  them  in  their  amusements  !  And  how  ex- 
ceedingly unwise  is  the  practice,  whenever  and 
wherever  it  exists,  of  confining  them  to  school 
rooms  and  benches  not  only  for  hours,  but  for 
whole  half  days  at  once. 

If  individuals  and  circumstances  were  every- 
where combined,  with  special  purpose  to  oppose 
the  intentions  of  nature  respecting  the  human 
being,  at  every  step  of  his  progress  from  the  era- 


236 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Error  in  family  arrangements.     The  child  regarded  as  a  cypher. 

die  to  maturity,  and  from  maturity  to  the  grave,  I 
hardly  know  how  they  could  contrive  to  accom- 
plish such  a  purpose  more  effectually  than  it  is  at 
present  accomplished.  But  it  is  proper  that  I 
should  here  explain  a  little. 

All  our  family  arrangements  tend  to  repress 
amusement.  Everything  is  contrived  to  facilitate 
business  ; — especially  the  business  or  employments 
of  adults.  The  child  is  hardly  regarded  as  a 
human  being — certainly  not  as  a  perfect  being. 
He  is  considered  as  a  mere  fragment ;  or  to  change 
the  figure,  as  a  plant  too  young  to  be  of  any  real 
service  to  mankind,  because  too  young  to  bear  any 
of  its  appropriate  fruits.  Whereas,  in  my  opinion, 
both  infancy  and  childhood,  at  every  stage,  should 
bring  forth  their  appropriate  fruits.  In  other 
words,  the  child  of  the  most  tender  years  should 
be  regarded  as  a  whole,  and  not  as  the  mere  frag- 
ment of  a  being;  as  a  perfect  member  of  a  family; 
occupying  a  full  and  complete,  only  a  more  limited 
sphere  than  older  members :  and  all  the  rules  and 
regulations  and  arrangements  of  the  family  should 
have  a  reference  to  this  point.  So  long  as  a  child  is 
reckoned  to  be  a  mere  cypher  in  creation,  or  at  most, 
as  of  no  more  practical  importance,  till  the  arrival 
of  his  twenty-first  birth  day,  or  some  other  equally 
arbitrary  period,  than  our  domestic  animals, — that 


AMUSEMENTS. 


237 


An  error  of  infant  schools.  Suggestions. 

is,  of  just  sufficient  consequence  to  be  fed,  and 
caressed,  and  fondled,  and  made  a  pet  of — so  long 
will  our  arrangements  be  made  with  sole  reference 
to  the  comfort  and  hapfiness  of  adults.  There 
may  indeed  be  here  and  there  a  child's  chair,  or  a 
child's  carriage,  or  newspaper,  or  book ;  but  there 
will  seldom  be,  except  by  stealth,  any  free,  juve- 
nile conversation  at  the  table  or  the  fireside.  Here 
the  child  must  sit  as  a  blank  or  a  cypher,  to  rumi- 
nate on  the  past,  or  to  receive  half-formed  and 
passive  impressions  from  the  present. 

The  arrangements  of  the  infant  school,  also, 
seem  designed  for  the  same  purpose — to  repress  as 
much  as  possible  the  infantile  desire  for  amuse- 
ment. Not  that  this  was  their  original,  nor  that  it 
is  now  their  legitimate  intention.  Their  legitimate 
object  is,  or  should  be,  not  to  develope  the  intel- 
lect by  over-working  the  tender  brain,  but  to  pro- 
mote cheerfulness  and  health  and  love  and  happi- 
ness by  well  contrived  amusements,  conducted  as 
much  as  possible  in  the  open  air;  and  by  unremit- 
ting efforts  to  elicit  and  direct  the  affections.  In- 
fant schools  should  repress  rather  than  encourage 
the  hard  study  of  books.  Lessons  at  this  age 
should  be  drawn  chiefly  from  objects  in  the  garden, 
the  field,  and  the  grove  ;  from  the  flower,  the 
plant,  the  tree,  the  brook,  the  bird,  the  beast,  the 


238 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Error  of  common  schools.  No  play  grounds. 

worm,  the  fly,  the  human  body  ;  the  sun,  or  the 
visible  heavens.  These  lessons,  whether  given  by 
the  parent,  as  constituting  a  part  of  the  family 
arrangements,  or  by  the*  infant  or  primary  school 
teacher,  should,  it  is  true,  be  regarded  for  the  time 
being  as  study ;  but  they  should  never  be  long,  and 
should  be  frequently  relieved  by  the  most  free  and 
unrestrained  pastimes  and  gambols  of  the  young 
on  the, green  grass,  or  beside  the  rippling  stream, 
uninfluenced,  or  at  least  unrepressed,  by  those 
who  are  set  over  them. 

The  public  or  common  school,  overlooking  as  it 
does  any  direct  attempts  to  make  provision  for  the 
amusement  of  the  pupils,  even  during  the  scanty 
recess  that  is  afforded  them  once  in  three  hours, 
would  appear  to  a  stranger  on  this  planet,  at  first 
sight,  to  be  designed  as  much  as  possible  to  defeat 
every  intention  of  nature  with  reference  to  the 
growth  of  the  human  frame.  For  we  may  often 
travel  many  hundreds  of  miles  and  not  see  so  much 
as  an  enclosed  play  ground  ;  and  never  perhaps 
any  direct,  provision  for  particular  and  more  favora- 
ble amusements. 

I  might  speak  of  other  schools  and  places  of 
resort  for  children,  and  proceed  to  show  how  all 
our  arrangements  appear  to  be  the  offspring  of  a 
species  of  utilitarianism  which  rejects  every  sport 


*  AMUSEMENTS. 


239 


Ultra  utilitarianism.  An  explanation. 

whose  value  cannot  be  estimated  in  dollars  and 
cents.  I  might  even  refer  to  those  schools  of  our 
country  where  these  ultra  utilitarian  notions  are 
carried  to  an  extent  which  excludes  amusing  con- 
versation or  reading  even  during  meal  time  ;  and 
devotes  the  hours  which  were  formerly  spent  in 
recreation,  to  manual  labor  of  some  productive 
kind  or  other. — But  I  forbear.  Enough  has  been 
said  to  illustrate  the  position  I  have  taken,  that 
there  is  in  vogue  a  system  which  bears  the  marks 
of  having  been  contrived,  if  not  by  the  enemies 
of  our  race,  either  openly  or  covertly,  at  least  by 
those  whom  ignorance  renders  scarcely  less  at  war 
with  the  general  happiness. 

Now  I  would  not  deny  or  attempt  to  deny  that 
change  of  occupation  of  body  or  mind  is  of  itself 
an  amusement,  and  one  too  of  great  value.  Un- 
doubtedly it  is  so.  To  some  children,  studies  of 
every  kind  are  an  amusement ;  and  there  are  few 
indeed  to  whom  none  are  so.  Labor,  with  many, 
when  alternated  with  study,  is  amusing.  And  yet, 
after  all,  unless  such  labors  are  performed  in  com- 
pany, where  light  and  cheerful  conversation  is  sure 
to  keep  the  mind  away  from  the  subjects  about 
which  it  has  just  been  engaged,  I  am  afraid  that 
the  purposes  for  which  amusements  were  designed 
are  very  far  from  being  all  secured. 


240  THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


An  apology.  Amusements  of  the  nursery. 

But  perhaps  I  am  dwelling  too  long  on  the 
general  principle  that  people  of  every  age,  and 
children  in  particular,  need  and  must  have  amuse- 
ments, whether  they  are  of  a  productive  kind  or 
not ;  and  that  it  is  very  far  from  being  sufficient, 
were  it  either  practicable  or  desirable,  to  turn  all 
study  and  labor  into  amusement. #  My  business 
is  wTith  those  who  direct  the  first  dawnings  of 
affection  and  intellect.  Principles  are  by  no 
means  of  less  importance  on  this  account ;  but  the 
limits  of  a  work  for  young  mothers  do  not  admit 
of  anything  more  than  a  brief  discussion  of  their 
importance. 

I  will  now  proceed  to  speak  of  some  of  the 
more  common  amusements  of  the  nursery. 

I  have  seen  very  young  children  sit  on  the  floor 
and  amuse  themselves  for  nearly  half  an  hour 
together,  with  piling  up  and  taking  down  small 


*  I  will  even  say,  more  distinctly  than  I  have  already 
done,  that  however  popular  the  contrary  opinion  may 
be,  neither  study  nor  work  ought  to  be  regarded  as  mere 
amusement.  I  would,  it  is  true,  take  every  possible 
pains  to  render  both  work  and  study  agreeable  ;  but  I 
would  at  the  same  time  have  it  distinctly  understood, 
that  one  of  them  is  by  no  means  the  other ; — that,  on  the 
contrary,  work  is  work ;  study,  study ;  and  amusement, 
amusement. 


AMCSEMENTS. 


241 


Pictures  for  children.  Playing  at  shuttlecock. 

wooden  cubes,  of  different  sizes.  Some  of  them, 
instead  of  being  cubes,  however,  may  be  of  the 
shape  of  bricks.  Their  ingenuity,  while  they  are 
scarcely  a  year  or  two  old,  in  erecting  houses, 
temples,  churches,  &c,  is  sometimes  surprising. 
Girls  as  well  as  boys  seem  to  be  greatly  amused 
with  this  form  of  exercise  ;  and  both  seem  to  be 
little  less  gratified  in  destroying  than  in  rearing 
their  lilliputian  edifices. 

Next  to  the  latter  kind  of  amusement,  is  the 
viewing  of  pictures.  It  is  surprising  at  what  an 
early  age  children  may  be  taught  to  notice  minia- 
ture representations  of  objects ;  living  objects 
especially.  Representations  of  the  works  of  art 
should  come  in  a  little  later  than  those  of  things 
in  nature.  I  know  a  father  who  prepares  volumes 
of  pictures,  solely  for  this  purpose  ;  though  he 
usually  regards  them  not  only  as  a  source  of 
amusement  to  children,  but  as  a  medium  of  instruc- 
tion. 

Battledoor  or  shuttlecock  may  be  taught  to 
children  of  both  sexes  very  early  ;  and  it  affords  a 
healthy  and  almost  untiring  source  of  amusement. 
It  gives  activity  as  well  as  strength  to  the  muscles 
or  moving  powers,  and  has  many  other  important 
advantages.  There  is  some  danger,  according  to 
16 


242 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


The  rocking-horse.  Caution  in  regard  to  its  use. 

Dr.  Pierson,*  of  distorting  the  spine  by  playing 
at  shuttlecock  too  frequently  and  too  long ;  but 
this  will  seldom  be  the  case  with  little  children  in 
the  nursery.  Neither  shuttlecock  nor  any  other 
amusement  will  secure  their  attention  long  enough 
to  injure  them  very  much. 

Perhaps  this  exercise  comes  nearer  to  my  ideas 
of  a  perfect  amusement,  than  almost  any  which 
could  be  named.  The  mind  is  agreeably  occu- 
pied, without  being  fatigued  ;  and  if  the  amuse- 
ments are  proportioned  to  the  age  and  strength  of 
the  child,  there  is  very  little  fatigue  of  the  body. 
It  gives,  moreover,  great  practical  accuracy  to  the 
eye  and  to  the  hand. 

A  rocking-horse  is  much  recommended  for  the 
nursery.  I  have  had  no  opportunity  for  observing 
the  effects  of  this  kind  of  amusement ;  but  if  it  is 
one  half  as  valuable  as  some  suppose,  1  should  be 
inclined  to  recommend  it.  But  I  am  opposed  to 
fostering  in  the  rider  lessons  of  cruelty,  by  arming 
him  with  whips  and  spurs.  If  the  young  are  ever 
to  learn  to  ride,  on  a  living  horse,  the  exercises  of 
the  rocking-horse  will,  most  certainly,  be  a  sort  of 
preparation  for  the  purpose. 


*  See  his  Lecture  before  the  American  Institute  of 
Instruction. 


AMUSEMENTS. 


243 


Tops  and  marbles.     Backgammon.     Morrice,  nine-pins,  &c. 

Tops  and  marbles  afford  a  great  deal  of  rational 
amusement  to  the  young;  and  of  a  very  useful 
kind,  too.  Spinning  a  top  is  second  to  no  exercise 
which  I  have  yet  mentioned,  unless  it  is  playing  at 
shuttlecock. 

Dr.  Dewees  recommends  a  small  backgammon 
table,  with  men,  but  without  dice.  He  says,  also, 
that  "  children,  as  soon  as  they  are  capable  of 
comprehending  the  subject,  should  be  taught 
draughts  or  checkers.  The  game  is  not  only 
highly  amusing,  but  also  very  instructive."  In 
another  place  he  heaps  additional  encomiums  upon 
the  game  of  checkers.  "  It  becomes  a  source  of 
endless  amusement,"  he  says,  "  as  it  never  tires, 
but  always  instructs."  Of  exercises  which  in- 
struct, however,  as  well  as  amuse,  I  shall  speak 
presently. 

The  amusements  called  "  morrice,"  "  fox  and 
geese,"  &c,  with  which  some  of  the  children  of 
almost  every  neighborhood  are  more  or  less  ac- 
quainted, are  of  the  same  general  character  and 
tendency  as  checkers.  So  is  a  play  sometimes, 
but  very  improperly,  called  d  ee,  in  which  two 
parties  play  with  a  small  bundle  of  wooden  pins, 
not  unlike  knitting  pins  in  shape,  but  shorter. 

The  w7riter  to  whom  I  have  referred  above 
recommends  nine-pins  and  balls  of  proper  size,  as 


244 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Skipping-  the  rope.        Trundling  the  hoop.         Ball  playing. 

highly  useful  both  for  diversion  and  exercise.  If 
they  can  be  used  without  leading  to  bad  habits 
and  bad  associations,  I  think  they  may  be  useful. 

For  girls,  who  demand  a  great  deal  more  of 
exercise,  both  within  doors  and  without,  skipping 
the  rope  is  an  excellent  amusement.  So  alsojs 
swinging.  Both  of  these  exercises  may  be  used 
either  out  of  doors,  or  in  the  nursery. 

Trundling  a  hoop  I  have  always  regarded  as  an 
amusing  out  of  door  exercise  ;  and  I  am  not  sorry 
when  I  sometimes  see  girls,  as  well  as  boys,  en- 
gaged in  it,  under  the  eye  of  their  mothers  and 
teachers. 

Playing  ball,  of  which  there  are  many  different 
games,  and  flying  kites,  employ  a  large  proportion 
if  not  all  of  the  muscles  of  the  body,  in  such  a 
manner  as  is  likely  to  confirm  the  strength  and 
greatly  improve  the  health.  The  same  may  be 
said  of  skating  in  the  winter,  and  swimming  in  the 
summer.  But  these  last  are  exercises  over  which 
the  mother  cannot,  ordinarily,  have  very  much 
control. 

Under  the  head  of  amusements  it  only  remains- 
for  me  to  speak  of  a  few  juvenile  employments  of 
a  mixed  nature.  Of  these  I  shall  treat  very 
briefly,  as  they  are  a  branch  of  the  subject  which 
does  not  necessarily  come  within  the  compass  of 


1 

AMUSEMENTS. 


245 


Dissected  maps.  How  used.  Black  boards. 

my  present  plan.  They  are  exercises,  too,  which 
should  more  properly  come  under  the  head  of  In- 
fantile Instruction. 

Dissected  maps  afford  children  of  every  age  a 
great  fund  of  amusement ;  but  much  caution  is 
necessary,  with  those  that  are  very  young,  not  to 
discourage  or  confound  them  by  showing  them  too 
many  at  once.  Thus  if  we  cut  in  pieces  the  map 
of  one  of  the  smaller  United  States,  at  the  county 
lines,  or  the  whole  United  States,  at  the  state 
lines,  it  is  quite  as  many  divisions  as  they  can 
manage.  Cut  up  as  large  a  state,  even,  as  Penn- 
sylvania or  New  York  is,  into  counties,  and  try 
to  lead  them  to  amuse  themselves  by  putting 
together  so  large  a  number,  many  of  which  must 
inevitably  very  closely  resemble  each  other,  and  it 
is  ten  to  one  but  you  bewilder,  and  even  perplex 
and  discourage.  The  same  results  would  follow 
from  cutting  up  even  the  whole  of  a  large  county, 
or  a  small  state,  into  towns.  I  have  usually  begun 
with  little  children,  by  requiring  them  to  put 
together  the  eight  counties  of  the  small  state  of 
Connecticut.  In  this  case  the  counties  are  not 
only  few,  but  there  is  a  very  striking  difference  in 
their  shape. 

A  black  board  and  a  piece  of  chalk,  along  with 
a  little  ingenuity  on  the  part  of  the  mother,  will 


246 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Elements  of  letters.  Dissected  pictures. 

furnish  the  child  with  an  almost  endless  variety  of 
amusement.  Let  him  attempt  to  imitate  almost 
any  ohject  which  interests  him,  whether  among 
the  works  of  nature  or  art.  However  rude  his 
pictures  may  be,  do  not  laugh  at,  but  on  the  con- 
trary, endeavor  to  encourage  him.  He  may  also 
be  permitted  to  imitate  letters  and  figures. 

The  elements  of  letters,  too,  both  printed  and 
written,  maybe  given  him,  and  he  may  be  required 
to  put  them  together.  Dissected  pictures,  as  well 
as  dissected  maps  and  letters,  are  useful,  and  to 
most  children  very  acceptable. 

In  short,  the  devices  of  an  ingenious,  thinking 
mother,  for  the  amusement  of  her  very  young 
children,  are  almost  endless  ;  and  the  great  danger 
is,  that  when  a  mother  once  enters  deeply  into  the 
spirit  of  these  exercises,  she  will  substitute  them 
for  those  much  more  healthy  ones  which  have 
been  already  mentioned,  such  as  require  muscular 
activity,  or  may  be  performed  in  the  open  air. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


CRYING. 


Crying  useful  to  children.  An  anecdote. 

"  Crying,"  says  Dr.    Dewees,   "  should  be 
looked  upon  as  an  exercise  of  much  importance 
and  he  is  sustained  in  this  view  by  many  eminent 
medical  writers. 

But  people  generally  think  otherwise.  Nothing 
is  more  common  than  the  idea  that  to  cry  is 
unbecoming  ;  and  children  are  everywhere  taught, 
when  they  suffer  pain,  to  brave  it  out,  and  not  cry. 
Such  a  direction — to  say  nothing  of  its  tendency 
to  encourage  hypocrisy — is  wholly  unphilosophi- 
cal.  The  following  anecdote  may  serve  in  part  to 
illustrate  my  meaning.  It  is  said  to  have  been 
related  by  Dr.  Rush. 

A  gentleman  in  South  Carolina  was  about  to 
undergo  a  very  painful  surgical  operation.  He 
had  imbibed  the  idea  that  it  was  beneath  the  dig- 
nity of  a  man,  ever  to  say  or  do  anything  expres- 
sive of  pain.  He  therefore  refused  to  submit  to 
the  usual  precaution  of  securing  the  hands  and  feet 
by  bandages,  declaring  to  his  surgeon  that  he  had 


248 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER, 


Groans  and  tears  afford  real  relief.       Anecdote  of  a  stoic. 

nothing  to  fear  from  his  being  untied,  for  he  would 
not  move  a  muscle  of  his  body.  He  kept  his 
word,  it  is  true ;  but  he  died  instantly  after  the 
operation,  from  apoplexy. 

There  is  very  little  doubt,  in  the  mind  of  any 
physiologist,  in  regard  to  the  cause  of  apoplexy  in 
this  case  ;  and  that  it  might  have  been  prevented 
by  the  relief  which  is  always  afforded  by  groans 
and  tears. 

It  is,  I  believe,  very  generally  known,  that  in 
the  profoundest  grief,  people  do  not,  and  cannot 
shed  tears ;  and  that  when  the  latter  begin  to  flow, 
it  affords  immediate  relief. 

I  do  not  undertake  to  argue  from  this,  that 
crying  is  so  important,  either  to  the  young  or 
the  old,  that  it  is  ever  worth  while  to  excite  or 
continue  it  by  artificial  means  : — or  that  a  habit 
of  crying,  so  easily  and  readily  acquired  by  the 
young,  is  not  to  be  guarded  against  as  a  serious 
evil.  My  object  was,  first,  to  show  the  folly 
of  those  w7ho  denounce  all  crying,  and  secondly, 
to  point  out  some  of  its  advantages  ;  in  the  hope 
of  preventing  parents  from  going  to  that  extreme 
which  borders  on  stoicism. 

One  of  the  most  intelligent  men  I  ever  knew, 
frequently  made  it  his  boast  that  he  neither  laughed 
nor  cried  on  any  occasion  ;  and  on  being  told 


CRYING. 


249 


Physiology  of  crying-.  Folly  to  resist  it. 

that  both  laughing  and  crying  were  physiologically 
useful,  only  ridiculed  the  sentiment. 

Crying  is  useful  to  very  young  infants,  because 
it  favors  the  passage  of  bloo4  in  their  lungs,  where 
it  had  not  before  been  accustomed  to  travel,  and 
where  its  motion  is  now  indispensable.  And  it 
not  only  promotes  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  but 
expands  the  air  cells  of  the  lungs,  and  thus  helps 
forward  that  great  change,  by  which  the  dark- 
colored  impure  blood  of  the  veins  is  changed  at 
once  into  pure  blood,  and  thus  rendered  fit  to 
nourish  the  system  and  sustain  life. 

But  this  is  not  all.  Crying  strengthens  the 
lungs  themselves.  It  does  this  by  expanding  the 
little  air  cells  of  which  I  have  just  spoken,  and 
not  only  accustoms  them  to  being  stretched,  at  a 
period,  of  all  others,  the  most  favorable  for  this 
purpose,  but  frees  them  at  the  same  time  from 
mucus,  and  other  injurious  accumulations. 

They,  therefore,  who  oppose  an  infant's  crying, 
know  not  what  they  do.  So  far  is  it  from  being 
hurtful  to  the  child,  that  its  occasional  recurrence 
is,  as  we  have  already  seen,  positively  useful. 
Some  practitioners  of  medicine,  in  some  of  the 
more  trying  situations  in  which  human  nature  can 
be  placed,  even  encourage  their  patients  to  suffer 
tears  to  flow,  as  a  means  of  relief. 


250 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Crying  farther  considered.       "  Waste  gate  "  of  the  system. 

Infants,  it  should  also  be  recollected,  have  no 
other  language  by  which  to  express  their  wants 
and  feelings,  than  sighs  and  tears.  Crying  is  not 
always  an  expression  of  positive  pain ;  it  some- 
times indicates  hunger  and  thirst ;  and  sometimes 
the  want  of  a  change  of  posture.  This  last  con- 
sideration deserves  great  attention ;  and  all  the 
inconveniences  of  crying  ought  to  be  borne  cheer- 
fully, for  the  sake  of  having  the  little  sufferer 
remind  us  when  nature  demands  a  change  of  posi- 
tion. No  child  ought  to  be  permitted  to  remain 
in  one  position  longer  than  two  hours,  even  while 
sleeping ;  nor  half  that  time,  while  awake ;  and  if 
nurses  and  mothers  will  overlook  this  matter  as 
they  often  do,  it  is  a  favorable  circumstance  that 
the  child  should  remind  them  of  it. 

Crying  has  been  called  the  "waste  gate"  of  the 
human  system  ;  the  door  of  escape  to  that  excess 
of  excitability  which  sometimes  prevails,  especially 
among  children  and  nervous  adults.  To  all  such 
persons  it  is  healthy  ; — most  undoubtedly  so  :  nor 
do  I  know  that  its  occasional  recurrence  is  injurious 
to  any  adult ;  a  fastidious  public  sentiment  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


LAUGHING. 


"  Laugh  and  be  fat."  A  common  error. 

Laughing,  like  crying,  has  a  good  effect  on  the 
infantile  lungs ;  nor  is  it  less  salutary  in  other 
respects.  "  Laugh  and  be  fat,"  an  old  adage,  has 
its  meaning,  and  also  its  philosophy. 

There  is  an  excess,  however,  to  which  laughing 
no  less  than  crying  may  be  carried  ;  and  which  we 
cannot  too  carefully  avoid.  But  how  little  to  be 
envied — how  much  to  be  pitied — are  they  who 
consider  it  a  weakness  and  a  sin  to  laugh  ;  and  in 
the  plenitude  of  their  wisdom,  tell  us  that  the 
Saviour  of  mankind  never  laughed.  When  I 
hear  this  last  assertion,  I  am  always  ready  to  ask, 
whether  the  individual  who  makes  it  has  read  a 
new  revelation  or  a  new  gospel ;  for  certainly  none 
of  the  sacred  books  which  I  have  seen,  give  us 
any  such  information. 

But  I  will  not  dwell  here.  The  common  notion 
on  this  subject,  if  not  ridiculous,  is  certainly 
strange.  I  will  only  add,  that,  come  into  vogue 
as  it  might  have  done,  there  is  no  opinion  more 


252 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Mistake  of  some  parents.  Monastic  notions. 

unfounded  than  the  very  general  one  among  adults, 
that  children  should  be  uniformly  grave ;  and  that 
just  in  proportion  as  they  laugh  and  appear  frolick- 
some,  just  in  the  same  proportion  are  they  out  of 
the  way,  and  deserving  of  reprehension. 

It  is  strange  that  it  should  be  so,  but  I  have 
seen  many  parents  who  were  miserable  because 
their  children  were  sporting  and  joyful.  Oh, 
when  will  the  days  of  monkish  sadness  and  aus- 
terity be  over;  and  the  public  sentiment  in  the 
christian  world  get  right  on  this  subject ! 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


SLEEP. 


Despising"  all  rules  in  regard  to  sleep. 

Not  a  few  persons  consider  all  rules  relative  to 
sleep  as  utterly  futile.  They  regard  it  as  so  much 
of  a  natural  or  animal  process,  that  if  we  are  let 
alone,  we  shall  seldom  err,  at  any  age,  respecting 
it.  Rules,  on  the  subject,  above  all,  they  regard 
as  wholly  misplaced. 

Those  who  entertain  such  views,  would  do  well, 
in  order  to  be  consistent,  to  go  a  little  farther; 
and  as  breathing,  and  eating,  and  drinking — nay, 
and  even  thinking — are  natural  processes,  deny 
the  utility  of  all  rules  respecting  them  also.  Per- 
haps they  would  do  well,  moreover,  to  deny  that 
rules  of  any  sort  are  valuable.  But  would  not 
this  have  the  effect  to  bar  the  door  perpetually, 
against  all  human  improvement?  Would  it  not  be 
equivalent  to  saying,  to  a  half-civilized,  because 
only  half-christianized  community — Go  on  with 
your  barbarous  customs,  and  your  uncleanly  and 
unthinking  habits  forever  ? 


254 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Example  of  Cato.  Modern  times  produce  few  such. 

But  I  have  not  so  learned  human  nature.  I 
regard  man  as  susceptible  of  endless  progression. 
And  I  know  of  no  way  in  which  more  rapid  pro- 
gress can  be  made,  than  by  enlightening  young 
mothers  on  subjects  which  pertain  to  our  physical 
nature,  and  the  means  of  physical  improvement. 
Not  for  the  sake  of  that  perishable  part  of  man, 
the  frame,  but  because  it  is  nearly  in  vain  to 
attempt  to  improve  the  mind  and  heart,  without 
due  attention  to  the  frame  work,  to  which  mind 
and  heart,  for  the  present,  are  appended,  and  most 
intimately  related. 

Let  it  be  left  to  fathers  to  study  the  improve- 
ment of  hounds  and  horses  and  cattle,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  think  themselves  above  the  concerns 
of  the  nursery.  We  may,  indeed,  read  of  a  Cato 
once  in  three  thousand  years,  who  was  in  the  habit 
of  quitting  all  other  business  in  order  to  be  present 
when  the  nurse  washed  and  rubbed  his  child.  But 
our  passion  for  gain,  in  the  present  age,  is  so  much 
more  absorbing  and  soul  destroying  than  the  pas- 
sion for  military  glory,  that  we  cannot  expect  many 
Catos.  Oh  no.  All,  or  nearly  all  must  devolve 
on  the  mother.  The  father  has  no  time  to  attend 
to  his  children  !  What  belongs  to  the  mother,  if 
she  can  be  duly  awakened,  may  be  at  least  half 


SLEEP. 


255 


General  importance  of  sleep.  Appropriate  hours. 

done ;  what  belongs  to  the  father,  must,  I  fear,  be 
left  undone. 

I  am  accustomed  to  regard  every  day — even  of 
the  infant — as  a  miniature  life.  I  am,  moreover, 
accustomed  to  consider  mental  and  bodily  vigor, 
not  only  for  each  separate  day,  but  for  life's  whole 
day,  as  greatly  influenced  by  the  circumstances  of 
sleep; — the  hour,  place,  purity  of  the  air, 
the  bed,  the  covering,  dress,  posture,  state 

of  the  MIND,  QUALITY,  QUANTITY,  and  DURATION. 

Sec.  1.    Hour  for  Repose. 

Generally  speaking,  the  night  is  the  appropriate 
season  for  repose  ;  but  in  early  infancy,  it  is  every 
hour.  I  have  already  spoken  of  the  vast  amount 
of  sleep  which  the  new  born  infant  requires,  as 
well  as  of  many  other  circumstances  connected 
with  it,  requiring  our  attention.  Suffer  me,  how- 
ever, to  enlarge,  at  the  risk  of  a  little  repetition. 

What  time  the  infant  is  awake,  should  be  during 
the  day.  It  is  of  very  great  importance,  in 
the  formation  of  good  habits,  that  he  should  be 
undressed  and  put  to  bed,  at  evening,  with  as 
much  regularity  as  if  he  had  not  slept  during  the 
day  for  a  single  moment.    It  is  also  important  that 


256 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Dark  rooms  for  sleeping.  Sundry  necessary  cautions. 

he  be  permitted  to  sleep  during  the  whole  night, 
as  uninterruptedly  as  possible ;  and  that  when  he 
is  aroused,  to  have  his  position  or  diapers  changed, 
or  to  receive  food,  it  should  be  done  with  little 
parade  and  noise,  and  with  as  little  light  as  pos- 
sible. All  persons,  old  as  well  as  young,  sleep 
more  quietly  in  a  dark  room,  than  in  one  where 
a  li^ht  is  burning. 

I  am  well  aware  that  the  course  here  recom- 
mended, may  be  carried  to  an  excess  which  will 
utterly  defeat  the  object  intended,  since  there  are 
children  to  be  found,  who  are  so  trained  in  this 
respect,  that  the  lightest  tread  upon  the  floor  will 
awake,  and  perhaps  frighten  them.  But  this  is  an 
excess  which  is  not  required.  All  that  is  neces- 
sary during  the  night,  is  a  reasonable  degree  of 
silence,  in  order  to  induce  the  habit  of  continued 
rest,  if  possible.  In  the  day  time,  on  the  contrary, 
fatigue  will  impel  a  child  to  sleep  occasionally, 
even  in  the  midst  of  noise.  I  am  not  sure  that 
the  habit  of  sleeping  in  the  midst  of  noise  is  not 
worth  a  little  pains  on  the  part  of  the  mother. 
Nor  is  it  improbable  that  a  habit  of  this  kind,  once 
acquired  by  the  infant,  might  ultimately  be  ex- 
tended to  the  night,  so  that  over-caution,  even 
in  regard  to  that  season,  might  gradually  be  laid 
aside. 


SLEEP. 


257 


Why  infants  should  not  sleep  with  their  mothers  or  nurses. 


Sec.  2.  Place. 

For  some  time  after  its  birth,  the  infant  should 
sleep  near  its  mother,  though  not  in  the  same  bed. 
The  bedstead  should  be  of  the  usual  height  of 
bedsteads,  and  should  be  enclosed  with  a  railing 
sufficient  to  secure  the  infant  from  falling  out,  but 
not  of  such  a  structure  as  to  hinder,  in  any  degree, 
a  free  circulation  of  the  air. 

The  reasons  why  a  child  ought  to  sleep  alone, 
and  not  with  the  mother  or  nurse,  are  numerous  ; 
but  the  following  are  the  principal  : 

1.  The  heat  accumulated  by  the  bodies  of  the 
mother  and  child  both,  is  often  too  great  for 
health. 

2.  The  air  is  too  impure.  I  have  already 
spoken  of  the  change  in  the  purity  of  the  air 
which  is  produced  by  breathing  it.  It  is  bad 
enough  for  two  adults  to  sleep  in  the  same  bed, 
breathing  over  and  over  again  the  impure  air,  as 
they  must  do  more  or  less,  even  if  the  bed  is  very 
large  ; — but  it  is  still  worse  for  infants.  Their 
lungs  demand  atmospheric  air  in  its  utmost  purity ; 
and  if  denied  it,  must  eventually  suffer. 

3.  But  besides  the  change  of  the  air  by  breath- 
ing, the  surface  of  the  body  is  perpetually  chang- 
ing it  in  the  same  manner,  as  was  stated  in  the 

17 


258 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Covering  the  heads  of  infants.  Its  danger. 

chapter  on  Ventilation.  Now  a  child  will  almost 
inevitably  breathe  a  stream  of  this  bad  air,  as  it 
issues  from  the  bed ;  and  what  is  still  worse,  is 
very  apt,  in  spite  of  every  precaution,  to  get  its 
head  covered  up  with  the  clothes,  where  it  can 
hardly  breathe  anything  else.  This,  if  frequently 
repeated,  is  slow  but  certain  death  ;  as  much  so 
as  if  the  child  were  to  drink  poison  in  moderate 
quantities. 

Let  me  not  be  told  that  this  is  an  exaggeration ; 
that  thousands  of  mothers  make  it  a  point  to  cover 
up  the  heads  of  their  infants  ;  and  that  notwith- 
standing this,  they  are  as  healthy  as  the  infants  of 
their  neighbors.  I  have  not  said  that  they  would 
droop  and  die  while  infants.  The  fumes  of  lead, 
which  is  a  certain  poison,  may  be  inhaled,  and  yet 
the  child  or  adult  who  inhales  them  may  live  on, 
in  tolerable  health,  for  many  years.  But  suffer 
he  must,  in  the  end,  in  spite  of  every  effort  and 
every  hope.  So  must  the  child,  whose  head  is 
covered  habitually  with  the  bed  clothing,  where  it 
is  compelled  to  breathe  not  only  the  air  spoiled  by 
its  own  skin,  but  also  that  which  is  spoiled  by  the 
much  larger  surface  of  body  of  the  mother  or  the 
nurse. 

But  I  have  proof  on  this  subject.  Friedlander, 
in  his  "  Physical  Education,"  says  expressly,  that 


SLEEP. 


259 


Facts  in  Great  Britain.  In  the  United  States. 

in  Great  Britain  alone,  between  the  years  1686 
and  1800,  no  less  than  40,000  children  died  in 
consequence  of  this  practice  of  allowing  children 
to  sleep  near  their  nurses.  I  was  at  first  disposed 
to  doubt  the  accuracy  of  this  most  remarkable 
statement.  But  when  1  consider  the  respectability 
of  the  authority  from  which  it  emanated,  and  that 
it  is  only  about  850  a  year  for  that  great  empire,  I 
cannot  doubt  that  the  estimate  is  substantially  cor- 
rect. What  a  sacrifice  at  the  shrine  of  ignorance 
and  folly  ! 

It  should  be  added  in  this  place,  both  to  con- 
firm the  foregoing  sentiment,  and  to  show  that 
British  mothers  and  nurses  are  not  alone,  that  Dr. 
Dewees  has  witnessed,  in  the  circle  of  his  practice, 
four  deaths  from  the  same  cause.  If  every  physi- 
cian in  the  United  States  has  met  with  as  many 
cases  of  the  kind,  in  proportion  to  his  practice,  as 
Dr.  D.,  the  evil  is  about  as  great  in  this  country 
as  Dr.  F.  says  it  is  in  Great  Britain. 

If  a  child  sleeps  alone,  it  cannot  of  course  be 
liable  to  as  much  suffering  of  this  kind,  as  if  it 
slept  with  another  person ;  though  much  precau- 
tion will  still  be  necessary,  to  keep  its  head  uncov- 
ered, and  prevent  its  inhaling  air  spoiled  by  its 
own  lungs  and  skjn. 


260 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Sleeping  on  the  arm.  A  sad  accident. 

4.  There  is  one  more  evil  which  will  be  avoided 
by  having  a  child  sleep  alone.  Many  a  mother 
has  seriously  injured  her  child  by  pressure.  I  do 
not  here  allude  to  those  monsters  in  human  nature, 
whose  besotted  habits  have  been  the  frequent 
cause  of  the  suffocation  and  death  of  their  off- 
spring ;  but  to  the  more  careful  and  tender  mother, 
who  would  sooner  injure  herself  than  her  own 
child.  Such  mothers,  even,  have  been  known  to 
dislocate  or  fracture  a  limb  !  * 

To  cap  the  climax  of  error  in  this  matter,  some 
mothers  allow  their  infants  to  lie  on  their  arm,  as 
a  pillow.  This  practice  not  only  exposes  them  to 
all  or  nearly  all  the  evils  which  have  been  men- 
tioned, but  to  one  more ;  viz.  the  danger  of  being 
thrown  from  the  bed. 

A  young  mother,  with  whom  I  was  well  ac- 
quainted, was  sleeping  one  night  with  her  infant 
on  her  arm,  when  she  made  a  sudden  and  rather 
violent  effort  to  turn  in  the  bed,  in  doing  which 
she  threw  the  child  upon  the  floor  with  such 


*  There  may  be  instances  where  the  debility  of  an 
infant  will  be  so  great  that  the  mother  or  a  nurse  must 
sleep  with  it,  to  keep  it  warm.  But  such  cases  of  dis- 
ease are  very  rare. 


SLEEP. 


261 


Sleeping  in  separate  chambers.  Some  of  the  reasons. 

violence  as  to  fracture  its  little  skull,  and  cause 
its  death. 

Enough,  I  trust,  has  now  been  said  to  convince 
every  reasonable  young  mother,  where  absolute 
poverty  does  not  preclude  comfort  and  health,  that 
her  child  ought  never  to  be  permitted  to  sleep  in 
the  same  bed  with  her ;  but  that  it  should  be 
placed  on  a  bedstead  by  itself  at  a  short  distance 
from  her ;  and  properly  guarded  from  accidents ; 
and  above  all,  from  inhaling  impure  air. 

At  a  suitable  age,  a  child  may  be  removed  from 
the  nursery  to  a  separate  chamber.  Here,  if  the 
circumstances  permit,  it  should  still  sleep  by  itself; 
but  if  the  bedstead  be  somewhat  lower  than  ordi- 
nary, and  the  room  be  not  too  small,  it  will  need 
no  watching. 

Perhaps  this  may  be  the  proper  place  to  say 
that  there  are  more  reasons  than  one — and  some 
of  them  are  of  a  moral  nature  too — why  a  child 
should  continue  to  sleep  alone,  after  it  leaves  the 
nursery.  Nor  is  it  sufficient  to  prohibit  its  sleep- 
ing with  younger  persons,  and  yet  crowd  it  into 
the  bed  with  an  aged  grandfather  or  grandmother, 
or  with  both.  There  is  no  excuse  for  a  course 
like  this,  except  the  iron  hand  of  necessity.  And 
even  then,  I  should  prefer  to  have  a  child  of  mine 


262 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Sleeping-  with  the  old.  With  cats  and  dogs. 

sleep  on  the  hard  floor,  at  least  during  the  summer 
season,  rather  than  with  an  aged  person. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  I  have  imbibed  the 
fashionable  idea  that  it  is  peculiarly  unhealthy  for 
the  young  to  sleep  with  the  old.  I  know  this 
doctrine  has  many  learned  advocates.  And  yet  I 
doubt  its  correctness.  I  believe  that  the  manners 
and  habits  of  the  old  may  injure  the  young  wTho 
sleep  with  them,  and  I  know  that  they  render  the 
air  impure,  like  other  people.  But  I  cannot  see 
why  the  mere  circumstance  of  their  being  old 
should  be  a  source  of  unhealthiness  to  their 
younger  bed-fellows.  Still  I  say  that  there  are 
reasons  enough  against  the  practice  I  am  opposing 
without  this. 

Some  parents  allow  dogs  and  cats  to  sleep  with 
children.  Others  have  a  prejudice  against  cats, 
but  not  against  dogs.  The  truth  is  that  they  both 
contaminate  the  air  by  respiration  and  perspira- 
tion, in  the  same  manner  that  adults  do.  And 
aside  from  the  fact  that  they  are  often  infested  by 
lice  and  other  insects,  and  addicted  to  uncleanly 
habits,  they  ought  always  to  be  excluded,  and 
with  iron  bars  and  bolts  if  necessary,  from  the  beds 
of  children.  But  of  this,  too,  I  have  treated  else- 
where. 


SLEEP. 


263 


The  air  in  nurseries.  Sleeping  with  open  windows. 


Sec.  3.    Purity  of  the  Air. 

The  general  importance  of  pure  air,  has  been 
mentioned.  I  have  spoken  of  the  elements  of  the 
atmosphere  in  which  we  live,  of  the  manner  in 
which  it  may  be  vitiated,  and  the  consequences  to 
health.  I  have  shown — perhaps  at  sufficient 
length — the  impropriety  of  washing,  drying  and 
ironing  clothes  in  the  room  where  a  child  is  kept ; 
of  cooking  in  the  room,  especially  on  a  stove  ;  of 
suffering  the  floor  or  clothes,  particularly  those  of 
the  child,  to  remain  long  wet,  in  the  room  ;  of 
smoking  tobacco,  using  spirits,  burning  oil  with  too 
long  a  wick,  &c. 

All  which  has  thus  been  said  of  the  purity  of 
the  air  of  the  nursery  generally,  is  applicable  to 
that  of  all  sleeping  rooms.  It  is  an  important 
point  gained,  when  we  can  secure  a  nursery  with 
folding  doors  in  the  centre,  so  as,  when  we  please, 
to  make  two  rooms  of  it.  In  that  case,  the  divi- 
sion in  which  the  bed  is,  can  be  completely  venti- 
lated a  little  before  night,  and  thus  be  compara- 
tively pure  for  the  reception  of  both  the  mother 
and  the  child. 

Shall  the  windows  and  doors  where  a  child 
sleeps,  be  kept  closed ;  or  shall  they  be  suffered 
to  remain  open  a  part  or  the  whole  of  the  night? 


264 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Lowering  windows  from  the  top.       Dr.  Gregory.  Macnish. 

This  must  be  determined  by  circumstances.  If 
there  are  no  doors  but  such  as  communicate  with 
apartments  whose  air  is  equally  impure  with  that 
in  which  the  child  is,  it  is  preferable  to  keep  them 
closed.  If  the  windows  cannot  be  opened  without 
exposing  the  child  to  a  current  of  air,  it  is  perhaps 
the  less  of  two  evils,  not  to  open  them. 

But  we  are  not  usually  driven  to  such  extremi- 
ties. In  some  instances  windows  are  so  constructed 
— and  all  of  them  ought  to  be — that  they  can  be 
lowered  from  the  top.  When  this  is  not  the  case, 
something  can  be  placed  before  the  window  to 
break  the  current,  so  that  it  need  not  fall  directly 
upon  the  child.  Closing  the  blinds  will  partially 
effect  this,  where  blinds  exist. 

I  have  known  many  an  individual  who  was  in 
the  habit  of  sleeping  with  his  windows  open  during 
the  whole  year,  and  without  any  obvious  evil  con- 
sequences. Dr.  Gregory  was  of  this  habit.  But 
if  adults — not  trained  to  it — can  acquire  such  a 
habit  with  impunity,  with  how  much  more  safety 
could  children  be  trained  to  it  from  the  very  first 
year.  Macnish  says,  "  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
a  gentle  current  pervading  our  sleeping  apartments, 
is  in  the  highest  degree  essential  to  health." 

This  consideration — I  mean  the  impurity  of 
sleeping  rooms,  even  after  every  precaution  has 


SLEEP. 


265 


Walking  abroad  in  the  dew.  Feather  beds. 

been  used  to  keep  them  ventilated — affords  one  of 
the  strongest  inducements  to  going  abroad  early  in 
the  morning — especially  when  there  is  no  other 
room  which  either  adults  or  children  can  occupy — 
while  the  nursery  or  chamber  is  aired  and  venti- 
lated. The  utility  of  rising  early  I  hope  no  one 
can  doubt ;  but  some  have  doubts  of  the  propriety 
of  going  abroad,  till  the  dew  has  "  passed  away." 
Such  should  be  reminded,  by  the  foregoing  train  of 
remarks,  that  early  walking  may  be  a  choice  of 
evils ;  and  that  if  it  is  on  the  whole  advantageous 
to  adults,  it  cannot  be  less  so  to  children.  And  as 
soon  as  the  sun  has  chased  away  the  vapors  of  the 
night,  if  the  weather  is  tolerable,  most  children 
should  be  carried  abroad. 

Sec.  4.    The  Bed. 

This  should  never  be  of  feathers.  There  are 
many  reasons  for  this  prohibition,  especially  to  the 
feeble. 

1.  They  are  too  warm.  Infants  should  by 
all  means  be  kept  warm  enough,  as  I  have  all 
along  insisted.  But  excess  of  heat  excites  or 
stimulates  the  skin,  causing  an  unnatural  degree 
of  perspiration,  and  thus  inducing  weakness  or 
debility. 


266 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Evils  of  feather  beds.  Mattresses.  Air  beds. 

2.  When  we  first  enter  a  room  in  which  is  a 
feather  bed  which  has  been  occupied  during  the 
night,  we  are  struck  with  the  offensive  smell  of  the 
air.  This  is  owing  to  a  variety  of  causes ;  one  of 
which  probably  is  that  beds  of  this  kind  are  better 
adapted  to  absorb  and  retain  the  effluvia  of  our 
bodies.  But  let  the  causes  be  what  they  may, 
the  effects  ought,  if  possible,  to  be  avoided  ;  for 
both  experience  and  authority  combine  to  pro- 
nounce them  very  injurious. 

3.  Feather  beds — if  used  in  the  nursery — will 
inevitably  discharge  more  or  less  of  dust  and  down; 
both  of  which  are  injurious  to  the  tender  lungs  of 
the  infant. 

Mattresses  are  better  for  persons  of  every  age, 
than  soft  feather  beds.  They  may  be  made  of 
horse  hair  or  moss  ;  but  hair  is  the  best.  If  the  mat- 
tress does  not  appear  to  be  warm  enough  for  the  very 
young  infant,  a  blanket  may  be  spread  over  it.  J)r. 
Dewees  says  that  in  case  mattresses  cannot  be  had, 
the  "sacking  bottom"  may  be  substituted,  or  "  even 
the  floor;"  at  least  in  warm  weather:  "for  almost 
anything,"  he  adds,  "is  preferable  to  feathers." 

Macnish,  in  his  "Philosophy  of  Sleep,"  objects 
strongly  to  air  beds,  and  says  that  he  can  assert 
"  from  experience,"  that  they  are  the  very  worst 
that  can  possibly  be  employed.    My  theories — for 


SLEEP. 


26? 


Beds  of  cut  straw.       Soft  beds.       Custom  among1  physicians. 

I  have  had  no  experience  on  the  subject — would 
lead  me  to  a  similar  conclusion. 

A  British  writer  of  eminence  assures  us  that  the 
higher  classes  in  Ireland,  to  a  considerable  extent, 
accustom  themselves  and  their  infants  to  sleep  on 
bags  of  cut  straw,  overspread  with  blankets  and 
a  light  coverlid ;  and  that  the  custom  is  rapidly 
finding  favor.  I  have  slept  on  straw,  both  in 
winter  and  summer,  for  many  years,  vet  I  am 
always  warm  ;  and  those  who  know  my  habits  say 
I  use  less  covering  on  my  bed  than  almost  any 
individual  whom  they  have  ever  known. 

I  have  no  hostility  to  soft  beds,  especially  for 
young  children  and  feeble  adults,  could  softness 
be  secured  without  much  heat  and  relaxation  of 
the  system.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  certainly 
desirable,  in  itself,  to  have  the  bed  so  soft  that  as 
large  a  proportion  of  the  surface  of  the  body  may 
rest  on  it  as  possible.  But  I  consider  hardness  as 
a  much  smaller  evil  than  feathers. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  how  generally  physicians, 
for  the  last  hundred  years,  have  recommended 
hard  beds,  especially  straw  beds  or  hair  mattresses, 
to  their  more  feeble  and  delicate  patients.  This 
fact  might  at  least  quiet  our  apprehensions  in 
regard  to  their  tendency  on  those  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  them  in  early  infancy. 


268 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


The  pillow.  Dampness.  Danger  from  lightning. 

Some  writers  on  these  subjects  appear  to  doubt 
whether,  after  all  that  they  say,  they  shall  have 
much  influence  with  mothers,  in  inducing  them  to 
give  up  feather  beds  for  their  infants.  But  they 
need  not  be  so  faithless.  Multitudes  have  already 
been  reformed  by  their  writings  ;  and  multitudes 
larger  still  would  be  so,  could  they  gain  access  to 
them.  It  is  a  most  serious  evil,  that  they  are  often 
so  written  and  published  that  comparatively  few 
mothers  will  ever  possess  them. 

The  pillow,  as  well  as  the  bed,  should  be  rather 
hard  ;  and  its  thickness  should  be  much  less  than  is 
usual,  or  we  shall  do  mischief  by  bending  the  neck, 
and  thus  compressing  the  vessels,  and  obstructing 
the  circulation  of  the  blood.  But  on  this  subject  I 
will  say  more,  when  1  come  to  treat  on  "  posture. " 

The  child's  bed  should  not  be  placed  near  the 
wall,  on  account  of  dampness.  There  is  also, 
during  the  summer,  another  reason.  Should  light- 
ning strike  the  house,  it  will  be  much  more  apt 
to  injure  those  who  are  near  the  wall  than  other 
persons  ;  as  it  seldom  leaves  the  wall  to  pass  over 
the  central  part  of  the  room. 

Curtains  are  not  only  useless,  but  injurious. 
They  prevent  a  free  circulation  of  the  air.  Every- 
thing which  has  this  tendency  must  be  studiously 
guarded  against  in  the  management  of  infants. 


SLEEP. 


269 


Warming  our  beds.  Sleeping  after  the  sick. 

Nothing  is  more  injurious  to  the  old  or  the 
young,  than  damp  beds  and  damp  covering.  It 
behoves,  especially,  all  those  who  have  the  care 
of  infants,  to  see  that  everything  about  their  beds 
is  thoroughly  dry.  The  walls  and  clothes  should 
also  be  dry  ;  and  wet  clothes  should  never  be 
hung  up  in  the  room.  By  neglecting  these  pre- 
cautions, colds,  rheumatisms,  inflammations,  fevers, 
consumptions,  and  death,  may  ensue.  Many  a 
person  loses  his  health,  and  not  a  few  their  lives, 
in  this  way.  The  author  of  this  work  was  once 
thrown  into  a  fever  from  such  a  cause. 

Warming  the  bed  is,  in  all  cases,  a  bad  prac- 
tice. While  in  the  nursery,  if  the  air  be  kept  at 
a  proper  temperature,  there  will  be  no  need  of  it; 
after  the  child  is  assigned  to  a  separate  chamber, 
its  enervating  tendency  would  result  in  more  evil 
than  good.  It  is  better  to  let  the  bed  become 
gradually  heated  by  the  body,  in  a  natural  and 
healthy  way. 

No  person,  and  above  all,  no  infant,  should  be 
suffered  to  sleep  in  a  bed  that  has  been  recently 
occupied  by  the  sick.  The  bed  and  all  the  clothes 
should  first  be  thoroughly  aired.  Could  we  see 
with  our  eyes  at  once,  how  rapidly  these  bodies 
of  ours  fill  the  air,  and  even  the  beds  we  sleep 
in,  with  carbonic  acid  and  other  hurtful  gases  and 


270 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Light  covering  the  best.  Covering  too  closely. 

impurities,  even  while  in  health,  but  much  more 
so  in  sickness,  we  should  be  cautious  of  exposing 
the  lungs  of  the  tender  infant,  in  such  an  atmos- 
phere, until  everything  had  been  properly  cleansed, 
and  the  apartments  properly  ventilated. 

Sec.  5.    The  Covering. 

The  covering  of  the  bed  should  be  sufficiently 
warm,  but  never  any  warmer  than  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  protect  the  child  from  chilliness.  The 
lightest  covering  which  will  secure  this  object  is 
the  best.  Perhaps  there  is  nothing  in  use  that, 
with  so  little  weight,  secures  so  much  heat  as  what 
are  called  "  comfortables." 

The  clothes  should  not  bo  "tucked  up"  at  the 
sides  and  foot  of  the  bed  with  too  much  care  and 
exactness.  For  when  the  bed  is  once  warmed 
thoroughly  with  the  child's  body,  the  admission  of 
a  little  fresh  air  into  it,  when  he  elevates  or  other- 
wise moves  his  limbs,  can  do  no  harm,  but  may  do 
much  of  good,  in  the  way  of  ventilation.  I  deem 
it  important,  moreover,  to  inure  children  very  early 
to  little  partial  exposures  of  this  kind. 

Those  mothers  who,  from  over-tenderness  and 
want  of  correct  information  on  the  subject,  pursue 
a  contrary  course,  and  consider  it  as  almost  certain 


SLEEP. 


271 


Case  of  a  mother.  Covering  the  head  during-  the  night. 

death  to  have  a  particle  of  fresh  air  reach  the 
bodies  of  their  infants  during  their  slumbers,  are 
generally  sure  to  outwit  themselves,  and  defeat 
their  very  intentions.  For  by  being  thus  tender 
of  their  children,  it  often  turns  out  that  whenever 
the  mother  is  ill,  or  on  any  other  account  ceases 
to  watch  over  them — and  such  times  must,  in 
general,  sooner  or  later  come — they  are  much 
more  liable  to  take  cold,  or  sustain  other  injury, 
should  they  be  exposed,  than  if  they  had  been 
treated  more  rationally. 

I  knew  a  mother  who  would  not  trust  her  chil- 
dren to  take  care  of  their  own  beds  on  retiring  to 
rest,  as  long  as  they  remained  in  her  house,  even 
though  they  were  twenty  or  thirty  years  old.  But 
they  had  no  better  or  firmer  constitutions  than  the 
other  children  of  the  same  neighborhood. 

Hardly  anything  can  be  more  injurious  than 
covering  the  head  with  the  bed  clothes ;  and  yet 
some  mothers  and  nurses  cover,  in  this  way,  not 
only  their  own  heads,  but  those  cf  their  children. 
I  have  elsewhere  shown  how  impure  the  air  is, 
which  is  imprisoned  under  the  bed  clothes.  I 
hope  those  mothers  who  are  willing  to  destroy 
themselves  by  covering  up  their  heads  while  they 
sleep,  will  at  least  have  mercy  on  their  unoffend- 
ing infants. 


272 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Few  night  clothes.  Caps.  Stockings. 


Sec.  6.    Night  Dresses. 

The  grand  rule  on  this  point  is,  to  wear  as  little 
dress  during  sleep  as  possible.  Some  mothers  not 
only  suffer  their  infants  to  sleep  in  the  same  shirt, 
cap  and  stockings  that  they  have  worn  during  the 
day,  but  add  a  night  gown  to  the  rest. 

No  cap  should  be  worn  during  the  night,  any 
more  than  in  the  day  time.  Or  if  the  foolish  prac- 
tice have  been  adopted  for  the  day,  it  should  be  dis- 
continued at  night.  It  is  enough  for  those  adults 
whose  long  hair  would  otherwise  be  dishevelled, 
to  wear  night  caps,  and  subject  themselves,  as 
they  inevitably  do,  to  catarrh  and  periodical 
headache.  Children's  heads  should  have  nothing 
on  them  by  night,  or  even  by  day,  except  to 
defend  them  from  the  rain,  or  the  hot  rays  of  the 
sun. 

The  stockings,  too,  should  be  wholly  laid  aside 
at  night,  unless  in  the  case  of  those  who  are  feeble, 
apt  to  have  their  feet  cold,  or  particularly  liable  to 
bowel  complaints.  Such  may  be  allowed  to  sleep 
in  their  stockings,  but  not  in  those  which  have 
been  worn  all  the  day. 

Indeed,  neither  children  nor  adults  should  ever 
wear  a  single  garment  in  the  night  which  they 
have  worn  during  the  day.    The  reason  is,  that 


SLEEP. 


273 


Dress  should  be  loose  during  sleep.  A  caution. 

there  are  too  many  causes  of  impurity  in  operation 
while  we  sleep,  without  our  wearing  the  clothes  in 
which  we  have  been  perspiring  during  the  day- 
time ;  and  which  must  be  already  more  or  less 
filled  with  the  effluvia  of  our  bodies. 

It  is  a  very  easy  thing  to  have  a  loose  night 
gown  to  supply  the  place  of  the  shirt  we  have 
worn  during  the  day  ;  and  if  nothing  else  is  con- 
venient, a  spare  shirt  will  answer.  But  a  night 
gown  and  shirt  both  should  never  be  admitted, 
especially  in  warm  weather.  The  garment  to 
supply  the  place  of  the  shirt  during  the  night, 
ftiay  be  of  calico  in  the  summer,  and  of  flannel  in 
the  winter. 

The  collar  and  wristbands  of  this  night  dress 
should  be  loose  ;  and  the  whole  garment  should 
be  large  and  long.  No  article  of  dress  should 
ever  press  upon  our  bodies,  so  as  in  the  least  to 
impede  the  circulation  ;  and  for  this  reason  it  is, 
that  writers  on  physical  education  have  inveighed 
so  much  against  cravats,  straps,  garters,  &c.  This 
caution,  so  important  to  all,  is  doubly  so  to  young 
mothers,  on  whom  devolves  the  management  of 
the  tender  infant. 

When  the  child  has  been  perspiring  freely 
during  the  evening,  just  before  he  is  undressed,  or 
when  he  has  just  been  subjected  to  the  warm  bath, 
18 


274 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Sleeping  on  the  back.  On  the  right  side. 

it  may  be  well  to  use  a  little  care  in  undressing, 
and  exchanging  clothes,  to  prevent  taking  cold  ; — 
though  it  should  ever  be  remembered,  that  those 
children  who  are  managed  on  a  rational  system 
will  bear  slight  exposures  with  far  more  safety, 
than  they  who  have  been  managed  at  random ; 
sometimes,  indeed,  with  great  tenderness,  but  at 
others  wholly  neglected. 

Sec.  7.    Posture  of  the  Body. 

In  early  infancy,  children  who  are  not  stuffed 
rather  than  fed,  may  occasionally  be  permitted  t# 
sleep  on  their  backs,  especially  if  they  incline  to 
do  so.  But  it  will  be  well  to  encourage  them  to 
sleep  on  one  side,  as  soon  as  you  can  without 
great  inconvenience. 

The  right  side,  as  a  general  rule,  is  preferable  ; 
because  the  stomach,  which  lies  towards  the  left 
side,  is  thus  left  uncompressed,  and  digestion  un- 
disturbed. I  would  not,  however,  require  a  child 
to  lie  always  on  the  right  side,  but  would  occa- 
sionally change  his  position,  lest  he  should  be- 
come unable  to  sleep  at  all,  except  in  a  particular 
manner. 

I  have  said  elsewhere,  that  the  head  ought  to 
be  a  little  raised,  especially  if  the  child  is  liable  to 


SLEEP. 


275 


Why  the  head  should  be  a  little  raised.  Diabetes. 

diseases  of  the  brain.  But  this  remark,  rather 
hastily  thrown  out,  requires  explanation. 

There  is  so  much  more  blood  sent  by  the  heart 
to  the  head  and  upper  parts  of  the  system  of 
infants,  as  to  predispose  those  parts,  especially  the 
brain,  to  disease.  In  a  horizontal  position  of  the 
body,  there  is  more  blood  sent  to  the  brain  than 
when  the  body  is  erect.  This  will  show  the 
reader  at  once,  that  if  the  infant  is  peculiarly 
exposed  to  diseases  of  the  brain — and  it  certainly 
is  so — he  ought  to  remain  in  a  horizontal  posture 
as  little  as  possible,  except  during  sleep  ;  and  that 
even  then  it  is  desirable  to  make  his  bed  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  elevate  the  head  and  shoulders  as 
much  as  we  can  without  compressing  the  lungs,  or 
obstructing  the  circulation  in  the  neck. 

I  recommend,  therefore,  to  raise  the  head  of  an 
infant's  bedstead  a  little  higher  than  the  foot ; 
though  not  so  much  as  to  incline  him  to  slide 
downwards  into  the  bed,  for  that  would  be  to 
produce  one  evil  in  curing  another. 

Sir  Charles  Bell  thinks  that  the  common  dis- 
ease of  infants,  called  diabetes,  arises  from  their 
being  permitted  to  sleep  on  their  backs  ;  and  that 
by  breaking  up  the  habit  of  lying  in  this  position^ 
and  accustoming  them  to  lie  on  their  sides,  we 
shall  prevent  it.    I  doubt  whether  the  effect  here 


276 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Darkening-  the  sleeping  room.       Suggestion  by  Dr.  Franklin. 

referred  to,  is  ever  the  result  of  such  a  cause.  Still 
I  am  as  much  opposed  to  the  habit  of  sleeping  on 
the  back,  as  Sir  Charles  Bell.  It  is  quite  injurious 
to  free  respiration. 

Closely  allied  to  the  subject  of  bodily  position 
in  general,  is  the  state  of  particular  organs,  espe- 
cially the  stomach  and  the  senses.  I  have  already 
intimated,  that  in  order  to  have  an  infant  sleep 
quietly,  it  is  desirable  to  darken  the  room.  This 
is  the  more  necessary,  where  infants  are  unnatu- 
rally wakeful.  In  such  cases,  not  only  should 
light  be  excluded  from  the  eye,  but  sounds  from 
the  ear,  odors  from  the  nostrils,  &c.  A  remark- 
ably full  stomach  is  in  the  way  of  going  quietly 
to  sleep,  whether  the  person  be  old  or  young. 
Neither  infants  nor  adults  ought  to  take  food  for 
some  time  previous  to  their  going  to  sleep  for  the 
night.  Great  bodily  heat,  as  well  as  too  great 
cold,  is  also  unfavorable.  If  too  hot,  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  infant  should  be  somewhat  reduced  by 
exposure  to  the  air;  if  too  cold,  it  should  be  raised 
in  a  natural,  healthy  and  appropriate  manner. 

Sec.  8.    State  of  the  Mind. 

In  giving  directions  how  to  procure  pleasant 
dreams,  Dr.  Franklin  mentions  as  a  highly  impor- 


SLEEP. 


277 


Children's  crying  themselves  to  sleep.        An  excellent  father. 

tant  requisition,  the  possession  of  a  quiet  con- 
science— a  wise  prescription,  no  doubt. 

But  infants,  as  well  as  adults,  in  order  to  sleep 
quietly,  should  have  their  minds  and  feelings  in  a 
state  of  tranquillity.  The  youngest  child  has  its 
"  troubles  ; "  and  it  is  highly  important,  if  not  in- 
dispensable, to  healthy  sleep,  that  the  mother  take 
all  reasonable  pains  to  remove  them  before  sleep 
is  induced. 

We  sometimes  hear  about  children's  crying 
themselves  to  sleep,  as  if  it  were  a  matter  of  no 
consequence ;  and  sometimes  as  if  it  were,  on  the 
contrary,  rather  desirable.  But  is  the  sleep  of  an 
adult  satisfying,  who  goes  to  bed  in  trouble,  and 
only  sleeps  because  nature  is  so  exhausted  that 
she  cannot  bear  the  protracted  watchfulness  any 
longer  ?  Why  then  should  we  expect  it,  in  the 
case  of  the  infant  ? 

I  know  an  excellent  father  who  is  so  far  from 
believing  this  doctrine,  that  he  silences  the  cries  of 
his  child  by  the  word  of  command ;  and  believes 
that  in  so  doing,  he  promotes  both  his  health  and 
his  happiness.  He  would  no  more  let  him  cry 
himself  to  sleep,  than  he  would  let  him  cough 
himself  to  sleep  ;  though  both  crying  and  cough- 
ing, in  their  places,  may  be  and  undoubtedly  are 
salutary. 


278 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Soundness  of  sleep.  Do  we  dream  in  sound  sleep  ? 

Whatever,  may  be  the  age  and  circumstances  of 
an  individual,  he  ought  to  retire  for  rest  with  a 
cheerful  mind.  All  anxiety  about  the  future,  all 
regret  about  the  past,  all  plans  even,  in  regard  to 
the  business  or  amusement  of  the  morrow,  should 
be  kept  wholly  out  of  the  mind.  We  should 
yield  ourselves  up  to  the  arms  of  sleep  with  the 
same  quietude  as  if  life  were  finished,  and  we  had 
nothing  more  to  do  or  think  of. 

Sec.  9.    Quality  of  Sleep. 

The  soundness,  as  well  as  other  qualities  of 
sleep,  differs  greatly  in  different  individuals;  and 
even  in  the  same  night,  with  the  same  individual 
in  different  circumstances.  The  first  four  or  five 
hours  of  sleep  are  usually  more  sound  than  the 
remainder.  Hardly  anything  will  interrupt  the 
repose  of  some  persons  during  the  early  part  of 
the  night,  while  they  awake  afterwards  at  the 
slightest  noise  or  movement — the  chirping  of  a 
cricket,  or  the  playing  of  a  kitten. 

In  profound  sleep,  we  probably  dream  very 
little,  if  at  all ;  but  in  other  circumstances,  we 
are  constantly  disturbed  by  dreaming,  and  some- 
times start  and  wake  in  the  greatest  anxiety  or 
horror. 


SLEEP. 


279 


Nightmare.        Its  causes.         Causes  of  distressing  dreams. 

Nightmare  is  generally  accompanied  by  dreams 
of  the  most  distressing  kind.  We  imagine  a  wild 
beast,  or  a  serpent  in  ^pursuit  of  us ;  or  a  rock  is 
detached  from  some  neighboring  cliff,  and  is  about 
to  roll  upon  and  crush  us ;  and  yet  all  our  efforts 
to  fly  are  unavailing.  We  seem  chained  to  the 
spot ;  but  while  in  the  very  jaws  of  destruction, 
perhaps  we  awake,  trembling,  and  palpitating,  and 
weary,  as  if  something  of  a  serious  nature  had 
really  happened. 

In  the  case  of  nightmare,  it  is  more  than  pro- 
bable that  we  fall  asleep  with  our  stomachs  too 
heavily  loaded  with  food,  or  with  a  smaller  quan- 
tity of  that  which  is  highly  indigestible.  Or  it 
may  sometimes  arise  from  an  improper  position  of 
the  body,  such  as  disturbs  the  action  of  the  stom- 
ach or  lungs,  or  of  both  these  organs.  Lying  on 
the  back,  when  we  first  go  to  sleep,  is  very  apt  to 
produce  nightmare. 

But  distressing  dreams  often  follow  an  evening 
of  anxious  cares,  especially  if  those  cares  preyed 
upon  us  for  the  last  half  hour;  and  also  after  late 
suppers,  even  if  they  are  light ;  and  late  reading. 
Hence  the  injunctions  of  the  last  section.  Hence, 
too,  the  importance  of  taking  our  last  meal  two  or 
three  hours  before  sleep,  and  of  engaging,  during 
these  hours,  in  cheerful  conversation,  and  in  the 


280 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


What  amount  of  sleep  is  healthiest.      Waking'  at  a  fixed  hour. 

social  and  private  duties  of  religion.  Family  and 
private  worship,  in  the  evening,  are  enjoined  no 
less  by  philosophy  than  they  are  by  Christianity ; 
and  every  young  mother  will  do  well  to  under- 
stand this  matter,  and  train  her  offspring  accord- 
ingly. 

"  That  sleep  from  which  we  are  easily  roused,  is 
the  healthiest,"  says  Macnish.  "  Very  profound 
slumber  partakes  of  the  nature  of  apoplexy."  I 
should  say,  rather,  that  a  medium  between  the  two 
extremes  is  healthiest.  Profound  apoplectic  sleep, 
I  am  sure,  is  injurious ;  but  that  from  which  we 
are  too  easily  roused  cannot,  it  seems  to  me,  be 
less  so.  Thus  I  have  often  gone  to  sleep  with  a 
resolution  to  wake  at  a  certain  hour,  or  at  the 
striking  of  the  clock  ;  and  have  found  myself  able 
to  wake  at  the  proposed  time,  almost  without  one 
failure  in  twenty  instances  where  I  have  made  the 
trial.  But  my  sleep  was  obviously  unsound,  and 
certainly  unsatisfying.  The  desire  to  awake  at  a 
certain  moment  or  period  seemed  to  buoy  me 
above  the  usual  state  of  he'althy  sleep,  and  render 
me  liable  to  awake  at  the  slightest  disturbance. 
Were  it  not  for  sacrificing  the  ease  of  others,  it 
would  be  far  better,  in  such  cases,  to  rely  upon 
some  person  to  wake  us,  instead  of  charging  our 
own  minds  with  it. 


SLEEP. 


281 


Extremes  to  be  avoided.  Of  sleep  before  midnight. 

The  quality  of  our  sleep  will  be  greatly  affected 
by  the  quantity.  But  this  thought,  if  extended, 
would  anticipate  the  subject  of  our  next  section ; 
so  easily  does  one  thing,  especially  in  physical 
education,  run  into  or  involve  another.  I  will, 
therefore,  for  the  present,  only  say,  that  if  we  con- 
fine ourselves  to  a  smaller  number  of  hours  than 
is  really  required,  our  sleep  becomes  too  sound  to 
be  quite  healthy,  as  if  nature  endeavored  to  make 
up  in  quality,  for  want  of  due  quantity.  On  the 
contrary,  if  we  attempt  to  sleep  longer  than  is 
really  necessary  to  restore  us,  the  quality  of  our 
sleep  is  not  what  it  ought  to  be ;  for  we  do  not 
sleep  soundly  enough. 

The  silence  and  darkness  of  the  night  tend  to 
induce  sleep  of  a  better  quality  than  the  noise  and 
activity  of  day.  It  is  unquestionably  desirable  that 
children  should  be  able  to  sleep,  at  least  occasion- 
ally, without  absolute  quiet.  And  yet  such  sleep 
cannot  be  sufficiently  sound  to  answer  the  pur- 
poses of  health,  if  frequently  repeated. 

Hence  it  is  perhaps — at  least  in  part — that  the 
maxim  has  obtained  currency,  that  one  hour  of 
sleep  before  midnight  is  worth  two  afterward. 
The  comparison  has  probably  been  made  between 
the  quiet  and  darksome  hours  of  evening  and  those 
which  follow  daybreak,  when  light,  and  music, 


282 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Sleep  in  infancy.  In  maturity.  In  old  age. 

and  bustle  conspire,  as  they  should,  to  make  us 
wakeful.  No  person  can  sleep  as  soundly  and 
as  effectually,  when  light  reaches  his  closed  eyes, 
and  sounds  strike  his  ears,  as  in  darkness  and 
silence.  He  may  sleep,  indeed,  under  almost 
any  circumstances,  when  fatigue  and  exhaustion 
demand  it ;  but  never  so  profoundly  as  when  in 
absolute  abstraction  of  light,  and  complete  quiet. 

Sec.  10.  Quantity. 

On  this  point  much  might  be  said,  without 
exhausting  the  subject.  But  I  have  already 
observed  that  infants,  when  first  born,  require  to 
sleep  nearly  their  whole  time.  As  they  advance 
in  years,  the  necessity  for  sleep,  however,  dimin- 
ishes, until  they  come  to  maturity,  when  it  remains 
for  many  years  nearly  stationary.  In  advanced 
age,  the  necessity  for  sleep  again  increases,  till 
we  reach  the  extremest  old  age,  or  what  is  usually 
called  second  childhood,  when  we  again  sometimes 
sleep  nearly  the  whole  time. 

I  have  already  remarked  that  much  might  be 
said  on  this  subject ;  but  I  do  not  think  that  the 
present  occasion  requires  it.  If  the  suggestions 
which  are  made  in  the  chapter  on  "  Early  Rising" 
should  receive  the  attention  I  flatter  myself  they 


SLEEP. 


283 


Examples  of  little  sleep.  Case  of  Gen.  Elliot. 

merit,  I  do  not  believe  children  would  often  sleep 
too  long.  If,  on  the  contrary,  they  are  suffered  to 
lie  late  in  the  morning,  and  then  sit  up  late  in  the 
evening,  all  healthful  habits  and  tendencies  will 
be  so  deranged  or  broken  up,  that  nature,  in  her 
indications,  will  by  no  means  prove  the  unerring 
guide  which  she  is  wont  to  do  in  other  circum- 
stances. 

A  few  thoughts  here,  on  the  quantity  of  sleep 
required  by  the  young  after  they  approach  ma- 
turity, may  not  be  misplaced. 

Jeremy  Taylor  thought  that  for  a  healthy  adult, 
three  hours  in  twenty-four  were  enough  for  all 
the  purposes  of  sleep.  Baxter  thought  four  hours 
about  a  reasonable  time ;  Wesley,  six :  Lord  Coke 
and  Sir  Wm.  Jones,  seven  ;  and  Sir  John  Sinclair, 
eight.  These  were  the  theories  of  men  who  were 
all  eminent  for  their  learning,  and  most  of  them  for 
their  piety.  How  far  their  practice  corresponded 
with  their  theories,  we  are  not,  in  every  instance, 
told. 

But  to  come  to  the  practice  of  several  persons 
who  have  been  distinguished  in  the  world.  Gen- 
eral Elliot,  one  of  the  most  vigorous  men  of  his 
age,  though  living  for  his  whole  life  on  nothing  but 
vegetables  and  water,  and  who  at  sixty-four  had 


284 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Conclusion  of  the  writer.  Contradiction  of  Macnish. 

scarcely  begun  to  feel  the  infirmities  of  old  age, 
slept  but  four  hours  in  twenty -four.  Frederick 
the  Great  of  Prussia,  and  the  illustrious  British 
surgeon,  John  Hunter,  slept  but  five  hours  a  day. 
Napoleon  Bonaparte,  for  a  great  part  of  his  life, 
slept  only  four  hours ;  and  Lord  Brougham  is  said 
to  require  no  more.  Others,  in  numerous  instances, 
require  but  six  hours.  But  there  are  others  still, 
who  consume  eight. 

The  conclusion — in  my  own  mind — is,  that  with 
a  good  constitution  and  active  habits,  men  may 
habituate  themselves  to  very  different  quantities  of 
sleep.  Still  I  think  that  six  hours  are  little  enough 
for  most  persons ;  and  if  a  child  on  arriving  at 
maturity  was  not  inclined  to  sleep  much  longer 
than  that,  I  should  not  regard  him  as  wasting  time. 
Most  persons,  it  appears  to  me,  require  six  hours 
of  sound  sleep  in  twenty-four ; — I  mean  between 
the  ages  of  twenty  and  seventy. 

Macnish  is  the  most  liberal  modern  writer  I  am 
acquainted  with,  in  his  allowance  of  time  for  sleep. 
Speaking  of  the  wants  of  adults,  he  says — "  No 
person  who  passes  only  eight  hours  in  bed  can  be 
said  to  waste  his  time  in  sleep."  Yet  he  obviously 
contradicts  himself  on  the  very  same  page ;  for  he 
says  expressly,  that  when  a  person  is  young,  strong 


SLEEP. 


285 


The  difference  between  six  hours  and  eight  hours. 

and  healthy,  an  hour  or  two  less  may  be  sufficient. 
But  an  hour  or  two  less  than  eight  hours  reduces 
the  amount  to  seven  or  six  hours.  And  taking  the 
whole  period  of  life  to  which  he  probably  refers 
— say  from  eighteen  to  forty — into  consideration, 
there  is  a  very  considerable  difference  between  six 
hours  and  eight  hours  a  day.  If  six  hours  are 
"  sufficient,"  it  cannot  be  right  to  sleep  eight 
hours. 

Let  us  here  make  a  few  estimates.  If  six 
hours  are  sufficient  for  sleep  between  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  forty,  he  who  sleeps  eight  hours  a 
day  actually  loses  16,080  hours  ;  equal  to  nearly 
two  whole  years  of  life ;  or  about  two  years  and 
three  quarters  of  time  in  which  we  are  usually 
awake.  This,  in  the  meridian  of  life,  is  not  a 
small  waste.  Permit  it  to  every  person  now  in 
the  United  States,  and  the  sum  total  of  wasted 
time,  to  a  single  generation,  would  be  25,649,098 
years ;  equal  to  the  average  duration  of  the  lives 
of  854,970  persons.  The  value  of  this  time  as 
a  commodity  in  the  market,  at  a  low  estimate — 
only  forty  dollars  a  year — would  be  over  a  thou- 
sand millions  of  dollars  !  And  its  value,  for 
the  purposes  of  mental  and  moral  improvement, 
cannot  be  estimated,  except  in  eternity  ! 


286  THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 

i 

Too  much  sleep  a  waste.  Too  little  not  healthy. 

Every  young  mother  must  derive  from  these 
considerations  a  motive  to  discourage  all  unneces- 
sary waste  of  time  in  sleep ;  while  no  one,  as  I 
trust;  will  forget  that  to  sleep  too  little  is  also  dan- 
gerous to  health,  and  prejudicial  to  the  general 
happiness. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

EARLY  RISING. 


All  children  naturally  early  risers. 

Some  writer — I  do  not  recollect  who — has  said 
that  all  children  are  naturally  early  risers.  And  I 
cannot  help  coming  to  the  same  conclusion. '  That 
they  are  not  so,  is  no  more  proved  from  the  fact, 
that  as  things  now  are,  they  are  generally  found 
addicted  to  the  contrary  habit,  than  the  very  gen- 
eral neglect  of  milk  among  the  higher  classes  of 
our  citizens,  proves  that  they  have  not  a  natural 
relish  for  it ;  when  every  one  knows  that  at  our 
first  setting  out  in  life,  milk  is,  almost  without 
exception,  the  sole  article  of  human  sustenance. 

One  of  the  great  difficulties  in  the  way  of  early 
rising,  as  I  have  already  had  occasion  to  say,  is 
late  sitting  up.  If  children  are  not  accustomed  to 
retire  till  nine  or  ten  o'clock,  nor  then  until  they 
have  been  subjected  to  all  the  excitements  per- 
taining to  fashionable  life — company,  heated  and 
impure  air,  stimulating  drink,  fruits,  high-seasoned 
food,  and  perhaps  music — and  are  become  actually 
feverish,  no  one  but  an  ignorant  person  or  a  brute 


288 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Inducements  to  early  rising.  Example  of  our  friends. 

ought  to  expect  them  to  rise  early.  Indeed,  what- 
ever may  have  been  the  cause,  and  whether  it 
have  operated  on  high  or  low  life,  late  retiring  will 
inevitably  result  in  late  rising.  The  current  may 
be  turned  out  of  its  course  a  little  while,  it  is  true ; 
but  not  always.  It  will  ere  long  return  to  its 
accustomed  channel ;  perhaps  to  renew  its  course 
with  increased  pertinacity. 

Everything,  in  the  morning,  naturally  invites  to 
early  rising.  The  pleasant  light,  the  music,  at 
certain  seasons,  of  some  of  the  animated  tribes, 
and  the  joy  which  wTe  feel  in  activity,  and  in  the 
society  of  those  whom  we  love,  all  conspire  to 
rouse  us.  If  we  have  retired  late,  howTever,  and 
especially  in  a  feverish  condition,  so  that  when 
we  wake  we  feel  wretched,  and,  as  sometimes 
happens,  more  fatigued  than  when  we  lay  down, 
other  collateral  motives  may  be  needed. 

I  have  said  that  everything  invites  us,  in  the 
morning,  to  rise  early  ;  but  it  was  upon  the  pre- 
sumption that  our  parents,  and  brothers,  and  sisters 
set  us  a  good  example.  If  parents  and  other 
friends  lie  in  bed  late  themselves,  can  anything 
else  be  expected  of  children?  Admitting  even 
that  they  rise  early  themselves,  if  they  never 
speak  of  early  rising  as  a  pleasure,  and  connect 
along  with  it,  in  their  children's  minds,  pleasant 


EARLY  RISING. 


289 


Discouraging  children  from  early  rising. 

associations,  they  would  be  unreasonable  to  expect 
otherwise  than  that  their  children  should  cling  to 
the  morning  couch,  till  they  are  fairly  compelled 
to  rise  as  a  relief  from  pain  and  uneasiness. 

But  when  parents  go  farther  than  this,  and 
actually  discourage  their  children  from  rising  early, 
and  use  every  means  in  their  power  short  of  actual 
punishment — and  sometimes  even  that — to  make 
them  lie  still  till  breakfast,  in  order  that  they  may 
be  out  of  the  way,  what  shall  we  say  ?  And  what 
is  to  be  expected  as  the  result  ? 

There  is  hope,  however,  under  the  last  circum- 
stances. People  sometimes  carry  things  to  an 
extreme  that  defeats  their  very  purposes.  Thus 
it  occasionally  is,  in  the  case  before  us.  This 
forbidding  children  to  rise  early,  and  threatening 
them  if  they  do,  sometimes  excites  their  curiosity, 
and  leads  them  to  the  forbidden  course  of  conduct, 
simply  because  it  is  forbidden.  Not  a  few  persons 
among  us  possess  the  disposition  to  be  governed 
by  what  has  sometimes  been  called  the  "  rule  of 
contrary." 

I  might  stop  here  to  show,  that  there  is  nothing 
so  well  calculated  to  develope  and  improve  the 
mind  and  heart,  even  of  parents  themselves,  as  the 
society  of  those  whom  God  gives  them  to  train  for 
him  and  their  country.  I  might  show,  that  not  a 
19 


290 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Why  the  young  dislike  the  old.  Parental  errors. 

few  of  those  traits  of  character  which  render  the 
company  of  many  old  persons  rather  irksome, 
especially  to  the  young,  have  their  origin  in  their 
neglect  of  the  young,  and  of  keeping  up,  as  long 
as  circumstances  will  possibly  admit,  juvenile  feel- 
ings, actions  and  habits. 

And  yet  what  do. we  too  often  witness  in  life? 
Is  not  every  effort  made  to  induce  the  young  to 
lie  in  bed  late,  that  they  may  be  out  of  the  way  ? 
Are  they  not  placed,  as  soon  as  possible  after  they 
are  up,  with  the  servants — if  unfortunately  there 
are  any  in  the  family — that  they  may  be  out  of 
the  way  ?  Are  they  not  required  to  breakfast,  and 
dine,  and  sup  elsewhere,  if  possible,  that  they 
may  be  out  of  the  way  ?  Do  we  not  send  them 
to  school,  even  the  Sabbath  school,  to  get  them 
out  of  the  way  ?  Do  not  some  mothers  even  dose 
their  infants  with  stupifying  medicines,  to  lull  them 
to  sleep,  in  order  to  have  them  out  of  the  way  ? 
And  to  crown  all,  though  they  are  quite  too  often 
permitted  to  sit  up  late  in  the  evening,  to  enjoy 
that  society  which  they  are  denied  so  great  a  part 
of  the  daytime,  are  they  not  occasionally  put  to 
bed  early,  that  they  may  be  out  of  the  way,  and 
that  the  parents  may  attend  late  parties,  to  indulge 
in  immoral  or  unhealthy  habits  ? 


EARLY  RISING. 


291 


Burning1  of  children.  Lecturing-  them. 

In  the  last  instance,  they  are  indeed  sometimes 
put  out  of  the  way,  in  the  result ;  and  with  a 
vengeance.  Many  a  child,  nay,  many  thousands 
of  children,  are  burnt  up  yearly,  while  their  parents 
are  gone  abroad  in  the  evening  in  quest  of  that 
enjoyment  which  ought  to  be  found  in  the  bosom 
of  their  families.  "  In  Westminster,  a  part  of 
London,  containing  less  than  two  hundred  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  one  hundred  children  were  thus 
destroyed  during  a  single  year."  And  the  moral 
results  which  occasionally  happen  are  a  thousand 
times  worse  than  burning.    But  enough  of  this. 

The  common  practice  of  lecturing  the  young  on 
the  importance  of  early  rising,  may  have  a  good 
effect  on  a  few  ;  but  in  general  it  is  believed  to 
produce  the  contrary  result.  It  is,  in  short,  to 
sum  up  the  whole  matter,  the  influence  of  parental 
example,  and  the  speaking  often  of  the  happiness 
which  early  rising  affords,  with  perhaps  the  occa- 
sional indulgence  of  the  child  in  a  pleasant  morning 
walk,  which,  if  he  retires  early  enough,  are  almost 
certain  to  produce  in  him  the  valuable  habit  of 
early  rising. 

But  what  is  an  early  hour  ?  Some  call  it  early, 
when  the  sun  is  one  hour  high  ;  some  at  sunrise  • 
others,  when  they  hear  of  an  early  riser,  suppose  he 
must  be  one  who  rises  at  least  by  day-break. 


292 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


What  is  an  early  hour  for  rising  ?  Error  of  Macnish. 

Midnight  is,  of  course,  as  near  the  middle  of  the 
night  as  any  hour ;  and  he  who  goes  to  bed  four 
or  five  hours  before  midnight,  will  never  complain 
of  those  who  insist  that  he  is  not  an  early  riser  who 
is  not  up  by  four  or  five  o'clock.  In  summer,  no 
adult  ought  to  lie  in  bed  after  four  o'clock,  and  no 
child,  except  the  mere  infant,  after  five. 

Much  is  said  by  a  few  writers,  especially  Mac- 
nish, of  the  danger  of  rising  before  the  sun  has 
attained  a  sufficient  height  above  the  horizon  to 
chase  away  the  vapors  and  remove  the  dampness. 
But  I  must  insist  upon  earlier  rising  than  this, 
though  we  should  not  choose  to  venture  abroad. 
Invigorated  and  restored  as  we  are  by  sleep,  I 
cannot  think  that  the  dampness  of  the  morning  air 
is  more  injurious  than  the  foul  air  of  some  of  our 
sleeping  rooms. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

HARDENING  THE  CONSTITUTION. 


Exposure  with  a  view  to  harden.  Its  danger. 

While  I  have  been  very  particular  in  enjoining 
on  my  readers  the  importance  of  thoroughly  venti- 
lating their  dwellings,  I  have  also  insisted  upon  the 
necessity  of  taking  children  abroad,  as  much  as 
possible.  Not,  however,  to  harden  them,  so  much 
as  to  give  them  a  more  free  access  to  air  and  light 
than  they  can  have  at  home  ;  and  also — when  they 
are  old  enough — to  cultivate  the  faculties  of  atten- 
tion, comparison,  &c. 

The  practice  of  attempting  to  harden  children 
by  frequent  exposure  to  air  much  colder  than  that 
to  which  they  have  been  accustomed,  without 
sufficient  additional  clothing,  is  open  to  the  same 
objections  which  have  been  brought  against  cold 
bathing.  Under  the  management  of  a  judicious 
medical  practitioner,  it  may  do  great  good  to  a 
few  constitutions  ;  but  its  indiscriminate  use  would 
injure  a  thousand  infants  for  one  who  was  bene- 
fited. 


294 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Suffering  by  cold  to  harden  ourselves.       Anecdote  of  Scotland. 

True  it  is  that  if  the  child  is  protected  against 
cold,  no  harm,  but  on  the  contrary  much  good  may- 
result  from  carrying  him  abroad  into  the  fresh  air, 
even  in  very  cold  weather.  But  what  can  be 
more  painful  than  to  see  the  little  sufferers  carried 
along  when  their  limbs  are  purple,  or  benumbed 
with  cold  ?  And  how  idle  it  is  to  hope  that  such 
exposure  hardens  or  improves  the  constitution ! 

It  is  on  the  same  mistaken  principle  that  many 
adults  go  thinly  clad,  late  in  the  fall.  I  have  seen 
men  in  November  and  December  beating  and  rub- 
bing their  hands,  who,  on  being  asked  why  they 
did  not  wear  mittens,  replied,  that  if  they  should 
wear  one  pair  of  mittens  so  early  in  the  season, 
they  should  want  two  in  the  winter. 

Now  I  cheerfully  admit  that  to  put  on  additional 
clothing  before  the  severity  of  the  weather  de- 
mands it,  actually  produces  the  effect  here  sup- 
posed; but  to  endure  severe  cold,  on  the  contrary, 
never  hardens  anybody.  Nay,  more,  it  enfeebles. 
Cold,  when  combined  with  the  evils  of  poverty, 
produces  more  mischief  and  destroys  more  lives 
than  any  one  disease  in  the  whole  catalogue  of 
human  maladies. 

Adam  Smith  says  that  it  is  not  uncommon  for 
mothers  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  who  have 
borne  twenty  children,  to  have  only  two  of  them 
alive. 


HARDENING  THE   CONSTITUTION.  295 


Extremes.  Anecdote  from  Dr.  Dewees. 

It  may  be  difficult  to  say  whether  children  are 
oftenest  destroyed  by  over-tenderness,  or  by  neglect, 
and  the  evils  incident  to  poverty.  Both  extremes 
are  common ;  while  the  happy  medium — that  of 
conducting  a  child^s  education  upon  the  principles 
of  physiology,  is  rarely  known,  and  still  more 
rarely  followed. 

I  have  been  much  amused,  and  not  a  little 
instructed,  by  the  following  anecdote  on  this  point, 
from  Dr.  Dewees : 

We  were  speaking  with  a  lady  who  had  lost 
three  or  four  children  with  "  croup,"  who  informed 
us  she  was  convinced,  from  absolute  experiment, 
that  there  was  nothing  like  exposure  to  all  kinds 
of  weather  to  protect  and  harden  the  system.  By 
her  first  plan  of  managing  her  children,  which  was 
by  keeping  them  very  warmly  clad,  she  said, 
she  lost  several  by  the  croup ;  but  since  she  had 
adopted  the  opposite  scheme,  her  children  had 
been  perfectly  healthy,  and  never  had  betrayed 
the  slightest  disposition  to  that  terrible  disease 
which  had  robbed  her  of  her  other  children. 

Perhaps,  madam,  we  observed,  you  did  not,  in 
making  your  first  experiments,  attend  to  a  number 
of  details  which  might  be  thought  essential  to  the 
plan.    You  did  not  probably  take  the  proper  pre- 


296 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Dressing"  too  warm.     Cooling  suddenly.     Stimulating1  drinks. 

cautions  when  you  sent  them  into  the  cold  air,  or 
observe  what  was  important  for  them  when  they 
returned  from  it. 

"  Oh,  yes/5  she  replied,  "  I  took  every  possible 
care  when  they  were  going  out.  I  always  made 
them  wear  a  very  warm  great  coat,  well  lined  with 
baize,  and  a  fur  cape  or  collar.  I  always  made 
them  wear  a  c  comfortable 5  round  their  necks, 
made  of  soft  woollen  yarn.  And  as  for  their  feet, 
they  were  always  protected  by  socks  or  over-shoes 
lined  with  wool  or  fur,  as  the  weather  might  be 
wet  or  dry." 

Do  you  believe,  madam,  they  were  kept  at  a 
proper  degree  of  warmth  by  these  means  ? 

"  Oh,  certainly.  Indeed,  rather  too  warm  ;  for 
they  would  often  be  in  a  state  of  perspiration, 
they  told  me,  when  in  the  open  air ;  especially  if 
they  ran,  slid  or  skated." 

And  what  was  done  when  they  were  thus 
heated  ? 

"  Oh,  they  got  cool  enough  before  they  reached 
home." 

And  would  they  receive  no  injury  in  passing 
from  this  state  of  perspiration  to  that  of  chill  ? 

"  Not  at  all;  for  when  this  happened,  I  always 
made  them  take  a  little  warm  brandy,  or  wine  and 


HARDENING  THE  CONSTITUTION.  297 


Sleeping  in  a  warm  room.  A  different  course. 

water,  and  made  them  toast  their  feet  well  by  the 
fire."* 

Did  they  sleep  in  a  cold  or  warm  room  ? 

"  In  a  warm  room.  A  good  fire  was  always 
made  in  the  stove  before  they  went  to  bed,  which 
kept  them  quite  warm  all  night." 

Would  they  never  complain  of  being  cold  to- 
wards morning,  when  the  stove  had  become  cold  ? 

"  Yes,  certainly ;  but  then  there  were  always  at 
hand  additional  bed-clothes,  with  which  they  could 
cover  themselves." 

And  did  they  always  do  it  ? 

"  Oh,  I  suppose  so." 

Well,  madam,  how  did  you  carry  your  second 
plan  into  execution,  which  you  say  was  attended 
with  such  happy  results  ? 

"  I  began  by  not  letting  them  put  on  their  great 
coats,  except  when  the  weather  was  so  cold  as  to 
require  this  additional  covering,  and  did  not  per- 
mit them  to  wear  a  '  comfortable'  or  fur  round 
their  necks.  I  took  away  their  over-shoes  ;  and 
if  their  feet  chanced  to  get  wet,  (for  they  were 
always  provided  with  good  sound  shoes,)  the 


#  This  absurd  custom  is  a  fruitful  source  of  that  dis- 
tressing condition  of  the  hands  and  feet,  in  winter,  called 
"  chilblains," 


298 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Success  of  the  new  plan.  Course  with  mere  infants. 

shoes  were  immediately  changed,  if  they  were  at 
home.  If  the  weather  was  wet,  or  unusually 
cold,  they  were  permitted  to  wear  their  great 
coats  ;  but  not  without.  If  they  came  home  very 
cold,  they  were  not  allowed  to  approach  the  fire 
too  soon.  I  gave  them  no  w7arm,  heating  drinks, 
and  accustomed  them  to  sleep  in  rooms  without 
fire." 

Who  does  not  recognize,  in  this  second  plan  for 
the  enjoyment  of  air  and  exercise,  as  judicious  a 
plan  of  physical  education,  so  far  as  it  goes,  as  can 
well  be  pointed  out  ?  We  were  so  successful  as 
to  convince  this  lady,  in  a  very  short  time,  that 
our  own  plan  of  exposing  the  body  was  precisely 
the  one  she  had  pursued  with  so  much  success. 

We  also  inquired  of  her  what  plan  she  pursued 
with  her  children,  when  too  young  to  be  submitted 
to  the  rules  just  mentioned.  She  informed  us  that 
it  was  the  same  system  throughout,  only  the  de- 
tails varied  as  circumstances  of  age,  &c.  made  it 
necessary.  That  is,  she  sent  her  children  into  the 
open  air  at  very  early  periods  of  their  lives,  pro- 
vided in  summer  it  wras  neither  too  wet  nor  too 
warm ;  in  winter,  when  the  air  was  mild,  dry  and 
clear — but  always  carefully  wrapped  up,  that  their 
little  extremities  might  not  suffer  from  cold.  She 
never  suffered  them  to  sleep  in  the  open  air,  if  it 


HARDENING  THE  CONSTITUTION.  299 


Keeping  the  feet  dry.  How  the  feeble  were  treated. 

could  be  avoided ;  to  prevent  which,  as  much  as 
possible,  she  constantly  charged  the  nurse  to  bring 
the  children  home,  as  soon  as  she  found  them  dis- 
posed to  sleep,  unless  it  was  when  they  were  very 
young,  at  which  time  it  was  impossible  to  guard 
against  it. 

And  when  her  children  were  sufficiently  old  to 
walk,  she  took  care  to  prepare  them  properly  for 
it,  whether  it  might  be  in  warm,  cold,  or  moderate 
weather.  She  never  sent  them  abroad  for  plea- 
sure, at  the  risk  of  encountering  a  storm  of  any 
kind ;  nor  permitted  them  to  walk  at  the  hazard 
of  getting  wret  or  very  muddy  feet. 

Were  the  constitutions  of  your  children  pretty 
much  the  same  ?  we  demanded  of  this  lady. 

"  No  ;  one  of  my  boys  was  extremely  feeble, 
from  his  very  birth." 

Did  you  treat  him  precisely  as  you  did  the 
others  ? 

"  Yes,  as  far  as  regarded  principles  ;  that  is,  I 
permitted  him  to  bear  as  much  of  cold,  heat  or 
wet  as  his  constitution  would  endure  without  pain 
or  injury.  The  degrees,  however,  were  very  dif- 
ferent from  those  his  brothers  bore,  had  they  been 
determined  by  the  measurement  of  the  thermome- 
ter, but  precisely  the  same  in  effect,  as  far  as  could 


300 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


The  feeble  require  more  clothing  than  the  robust. 

be  ascertained  by  consequences.  Thus,  if  he 
were  exposed  to  the  same  temperature  as  his 
brothers,  he  experienced  no  more  inconvenience 
from  it,  when  it  was  very  low,  than  they,  because 
he  had  additional  covering  to  protect  him." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


SOCIETY. 


Duty  of  mothers,  on  this  point.  Children  need  society. 

Every  mother  is  unquestionably  as  much  bound 
to  have  an  eye  to  the  society  of  her  child,  as  to  his 
food,  drink  or  clothing.  And  if  the  quality,  amount 
and  general  character  of  the  latter  are  important, 
those  of  the  former  are  by  no  means  less  so. 

It  is  indeed  true  that  many  a  child  has  been 
happy,  in  a  degree,  in  the  society  of  its  mother 
alone,  where  the  father  was  seldom  seen,  and  the 
brothers  and  sisters  never.  And  it  is  equally  true, 
that  a  few  children  have  so  far  preferred  the 
society  of  their  parents  alone,  as  to  become  disin- 
clined to  other  society.  But  cases  of  this  kind 
are  only  as  exceptions  to  the  general  rule ;  and 
are  probably  monstrous  formations  of  character.  I 
cannot  believe  that  any  child,  rightly  educated, 
would  prefer  the  society  of  none  but  its  parents, 
or  even  its  parents  and  brothers  and  sisters. 

A  French  author  has  written  a  considerable 
volume  on  the  importance  of  what  he  calls  gaiety, 
but  which  we  should  prefer  to  call  cheerfulness. 


302 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Excess  of  society.  Not  so  bad  as  the  contrary  extreme. 

Among  the  rest,  he  maintains  that  it  is  indispensa- 
ble to  the  best  health.  But  if  so — and  I  do  not 
doubt  it — then  it  ought  to  be  encouraged  in  chil- 
dren; and  the  earlier  the  better.  Now  there  is  no 
way  to  encourage  cheerfulness  in  the  young  so 
effectually  as  by  indulging  them  with  considerable 
society. 

That  the  thing  may  be  carried  to  excess,  1  have 
no  doubt.  I  have  seen  mothers  who  permitted 
their  children  to  play  with  their  mates,  till  they 
became  excited,  and  were  thus  led  to  continue 
their  sports,  not  only  farther  than  cheerfulness  and: 
health  demanded,  but  until  they  were  excessively 
fatigued,  and  almost  made  sick.  And  I  believe 
that  the  excitement  of  numbers,  in  infant  and 
other  schools,  may  be  so  great  as  to  be  injurious, 
rather  than  salutary.  Still  I  think  that  these  are 
rare  cases. 

Truth  usually  lies  somewhere  between  extremes. 
To  keep  a  child,  especially  a  boy,  always  in  the 
nursery,  or  even  in  the  parlor  with  his  mother,  is 
one  extreme  ;  and  to  let  him  go  abroad  continually 
till  his  home  and  its  smaller  circle  become  insipid, 
is  the  other.  A  child  properly  trained  will  usually 
prefer  home ;  and  only  desire  to  go  abroad  occa- 
sionally. He  will  rather  need  urging  in  the  matter 
than  require  restraint. 


SOCIETY. 


303 


Necessity  of  society.         Society  of  the  mother  the  first  thing. 

But  he  must,  at  any  rate,  be  taught  to  be  socia- 
ble, not  only  for  the  sake  of  cheerfulness  and  the 
consequent  health,  but  for  the  sake  of  his  manners, 
his  mind,  and  his  morals. 

If  it  is  a  matter  of  indifference,  in  the  formation 
of  human  character,  whether  we  mix  in  society  or 
not,  then,  for  anything  I  can  see,  an  improvement 
might  be  proposed  in  the  construction  of  the  mate- 
rial universe.  Instead  of  forming  the  planets  so 
large — and  this  earth  among  the  rest — each  might 
have  been  divided  into  hundreds  of  millions ;  and 
every  human  being  might  have  had  a  little  planet, 
and  an  immortality,  exclusively  his  own.  Such  an 
arrangement  would  certainly  prevent  a  great  many 
evils;  and,  among  the  rest,  a  great  deal  of  quar- 
relling and  bloodshed. 

But  divine  wisdom  is  higher  than  human  wis- 
dom ;  and  one  world  to  hundreds  of  millions  of 
human  beings  has  been  made,  instead  of  giving  to 
each  individual  of  the  universe  a  little  world  of  his 
own,  in  which  he  might  have  reigned  sole  mon- 
arch,  and  only  wept,  with  Alexander,  because 
none  of  the  other  worlds  were  within  his  grasp. 

Where  a  family  is  already  large,  other  society 
will  be  unnecessary  for  some  time ;  but  where  it 
consists  of  a  mother  only,  although  her  society  is 
always  to  be  considered  of  the  first  importance^ 


304 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Diffidence  of  children.        Selecting  companions.        A  hint. 

I  cannot  but  think  she  ought  to  take  great  pains  to 
introduce  her  child  occasionally  to  the  company  of 
other  children. 

That  diffidence,  which  almost  destroys  the  influ- 
ence and  the  happiness  of  many  individuals,  is 
often  cherished  if  not  created  by  too  much  seclu- 
sion. Where  there  is  a  natural  constitution  which 
predisposes  the  child  to  timidity  and  diffidence,  the 
danger  is  greatly  increased ;  and  parents  should 
take  unwearied  pains  to  guard  against  it. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  for  me  to  say,  that  great 
care  should  also  be  used  in  selecting  the  com- 
panions of  children.  Their  character  will  be 
greatly  influenced  for  life  by  their  earlier  asso- 
ciates. Friendships  between  children  are  some- 
times formed,  while  playing  together,  which  are 
interrupted  only  by  death.  Those  parents  who 
are  so  fond  of  controlling  the  choice  of  their  sons 
and  daughters,  in  regard  to  a  companion  for  life,  at 
a  period  when  control  is  generally  resisted,  would 
do  well  to  take  a  hint  from  w7hat  has  been  here 
suggested.  There  is  no  doubt  but  they  might 
often — very  often — give  such  a  direction  to  the 
embryo  affections  of  their  infants  and  children,  as 
would  terminate  only  with  their  existence. 

It  is  still  less  necessary  to  advert,  in  a  work  like 
this,  to  the  effect  which  much  observation  and 


SOCIETY. 


305 


Moral  purity.       Tendency  of  schools  exclusively  for  one  sex. 

experience  shows  good  society  to  have  on  purity, 
both  physical  and  moral.  Every  one  must  have 
observed  its  tendency  to  form  habits  of  cleanliness, 
not  to  say  neatness.  There  may  be  excess,  even 
in  this.  Young  persons,  of  both  sexes,  often  spend 
too  much  time  in  preparing  their  dress  for  the 
reception  or  the  visiting  of  their  friends.  Still  this 
is  only  the  abuse  of  a  good  thing.  Nor  is  it  less 
true,  though  it  may  be  less  obvious,  that  moral 
purity  is  more  likely  to  be  secured,  where  children 
and  youth  of  both  sexes  associate  a  great  deal, 
from  the  earliest  infancy .*  There  are  tremendous 
cases  of  declension  on  record,  which  establish  this 
point  beyond  the  possibility  of  debate. 

To  say  that  the  mother — and  indeed  both  pa- 
rents— ought  to  form  a  part  of  the  playing  circle 
of  the  youngest  children,  in  order  to  watch  their 
opening  dispositions,  to  check  what  may  be  im- 
proper, and  encourage  what  ought  to  be  encour- 
aged, would  be  only  to  repeat  what  has  often  been 


*  If  this  principle  be  correct,  what  is  the  tendency  of 
our  numerous  schools,  which  are  exclusively  for  one 
sex?  Must  there  not  be  latent  evil  to  counterbalance 
some  of  the  seeming  good  ?  For  myself,  I  doubt  whether 
moral  character  can  ever  be  formed  in  due  proportion 
and  harmony,  where  this  separation  long  exists. 
20 


306 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Mistake  of  parents.  A  hint  at  its  correction. 

recommended  by  the  best  writers  on  education — 
but  which  must  be  repeated,  again  and  again,  till 
it  leaves  an  impression,  especially  on  christian 
parents.  It  is  strange  that  many  regard  this  mat- 
ter as  they  do,  and  appear  not  only  ashamed  to 
be  seen  sporting  with  their  children,  but  almost 
ashamed  to  have  their  children  thus  occupied. 
They  might  as  well  be  ashamed  of  the  gambols  of 
the  kitten  or  the  lamb,  or  of  the  grave  mother,  as 
she  turns  aside  occasionally  to  join  in  its  frolics. 
When  will  parents  be  willing  to  take  lessons  in 
education  from  that  brute  world  which  they  have 
been  so  long  accustomed  to  overlook  or  despise  I 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

EMPL0Y31ENTS. 


Influence  of  mothers  in  forming  character. 

One  important  and  never-to-be-forgotten  em- 
ployment of  the  young,  is  the  cultivation  of  their 
minds ;  and  another,  that  of  their  morals.  But 
my  present  purpose  is  only  to  speak  of  those  em- 
ployments denominated  manual  or  physical. 

It  is  obvious,  at  the  first  glance,  that  the  influ- 
ence of  the  mother,  in  our  own  country,  at  least, 
will  be  less  over  boys  than  over  girls.  We  leave 
it  to  savages  and  semi-savages  to  employ  their 
females,  and  even  their  mothers,  in  hard  manual 
labor.  Here,  in  America,  what  I  should  say  on 
the  employment  of  boys  would  be  more  properly 
addressed  to  the  Young  Father. 

There  are  some  exceptions  to  the  general  truth 
contained  in  the  last  paragraph.  Many  a  mother 
has — unconsciously  at  the  time,  but  with  no  less 
certainty  than  if  she  had  done  it  intentionally — 
given  a  direction  to  the  whole  current  of  her  son's 
life ;  and  this,  too,  at  a  very  early  period.  The 
mother  of  Benjamin  West,  the  painter,  if  she  did 


308 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


How  West  was  made  a  painter.  An  anecdote. 

not  give  the  first  tendency  to  his  favorite  pursuit, 
while  he  was  yet  a  mere  child,  at  the  least  greatly 
confirmed  him  in  it,  by  the  manner  of  expressing 
her  surprise  at  one  of  his  early  performances. 
"  My  mother's  kiss,"  on  that  occasion,  said  he, 
"  made  me  a  painter."  Nor  are  facts  of  the  same 
general  character  by  any  means  uncommon. 

I  know  a  poor  mother  who,  in  the  absence  of 
her  husband  at  his  weekly  or  monthly  labors,  used 
to  detain  her  eldest  boy,  then  almost  an  infant, 
from  going  to  bed  in  the  evening  till  her  day's 
work  was  finished — because,  in  her  loneliness, 
she  wanted  his  company — by  telling  stories  of 
eminent  men,  and  especially  of  distinguished  phi- 
lanthropists, until  she  had  unconsciously  kindled 
in  him  a  philanthropic  spirit,  which  will  not  cease 
to  burn  till  his  death. 

But  it  is  in  forming  the  predilections  of  daugh- 
ters for  their  destined  employments,  that  mothers 
are  especially  influential.  Not  so  much  by  their 
set  lessons  or  lectures,  however,  as  by  the  force  of 
continued  example.  No  mother  who  sends  her 
child  away  to  be  nursed,  and  subsequently  to  her 
return,  seizes  on  every  possible  opportunity  to  keep 
her  out  of  the  way  and  out  of  her  sight,  will  be 
likely  to  give  her  any  choice  of  employment,  or 
indeed  any  fondness  for  employment  at  all. 


EMPLOYMENTS. 


309 


Female  dislike  of  domestic  employments.  How  it  arises. 

Nor  is  it  sufficient  that  she  keep  her  daughter 
constantly  under  her  eye,  with  a  view  to  qualify 
her  for  the  duties  of  a  housewife,  if  the  daughter 
see  as  plainly  as  in  the  light  of  mid-day,  that  the 
mother  dislikes  the  employment  herself.  She 
must  love  what  she  would  have  her  daughter  love, 
and  even  what  she  would  have  her  understand. 
Nor  is  it  sufficient  that  she  affect  a  fondness  for 
the  employment ;  her  love  for  it  must  be  real. 
Little  girls  have  keener  eyes  and  better  judgments 
than  some  mothers  seem  willing  to  believe  or  to 
admit. 

Many  persons  seem  greatly  surprised  that  the 
young  ladies  of  modern  days  have  so  little  fondness 
for  domestic  life  and  domestic  duties.  How  few, 
it  is  often  said,  will  do  their  own  house-work,  if 
they  can  possibly  get  a  train  of  domestics  around 
them ;  even  though  the  care  and  oversight  of  the 
domestics  themselves  wear  them  out  more  rapidly 
than  bodily  labor  would. 

But  there  is  a  reason  for  this  hostility  to  domes- 
tic employments.  It  is  because  mothers,  almost 
universally,  consider  their  occupations  as  mere 
drudgery,  and  bring  up  their  children  in  the  same 
spirit.  And  what  else  could  be  expected  as  the 
result  ?  It  would  be  an  anomaly  in  the  history  of 
human  nature,  if  the  female  members  of  families 


310 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Miserable  housewives.  How  they  are  produced. 

were  to  grow  up  in  love  with  ordinary  domestic 
avocations,  when  they  have  been  accustomed  to 
see  their  mothers,  and  nurses,  and  elder  sisters 
complaining  and  fretting  while  engaged  in  them  ; 
and  showing,  by  their  actions,  no  less  than  by  their 
words,  that  they  regarded  themselves  as  miserable 
and  wretched. 

No  wonder  so  many  girls,  of  the  present  day, 
make  miserable  housewives.  No  wonder  a  factory, 
a  book-bindery,  or  a  shoemaker's  shop,  is  con- 
sidered preferable  to  the  kitchen.  No  wonder  the 
world  degenerates,  because  females,  no  longer 
healthfully  employed,  become  pale  and  sickly, 
spreading  gloom  and  misery  all  around  them,  and 
transmitting  the  same  ills  which  themselves  suffer 
to  those  who  come  after  them. 

It  is  true,  the  guilt  of  this  dereliction  must  not 
be  charged  wholly  on  mothers;  though  they  ought, 
unquestionably,  to  bear  a  large  share  of  it.  Those 
who  have,  and  ought  to  have,  much  influence  in 
society,  erroneously,  and  I  suppose  thoughtlessly, 
help  mothers  along  in  their  evil  ways.  If  there 
were  a  universal  combination  between  certain 
classes  of  mankind  and  the  whole  race  of  mothers, 
to  ruin,  rather  than  be  instrumental  of  reforming 
mankind,  and  of  saving  their  deathless  souls,  I 
hardly  know  how  they  could  invent  a  much  better^ 


EMPLOYMENTS. 


311 


Mistake  of  those  who  lead  the  fashions.       Mr.  Flint's  opinion. 

or  at  least  a  much  more  certain  plan,  than  that 
now  in  operation.  So  long  as  those  who  take  the 
lead  in  society,  and  govern  the  fashion  in  this 
matter,  as  others  govern  it  in  the  matter  of  dress, 
refuse,  as  a  general  rule,  to  form  alliances  for  life, 
except  with  those  who  practically  despise  house- 
hold concerns, — and  so  long  as  our  houses  are 
filled  with  domestics,  whose  object  is  to  aid  these 
spoiled  mothers,  but  whose  real  effect  is  to  com- 
plete their  ruin,  and  accelerate  the  ruin  of  man- 
kind,— just  so  long  will  human  progress  towards 
perfection  be  retarded. 

If  mothers  were  in  love  with  their  occupations, 
and  their  daughters  knew  it,  then  to  the  influence 
of  a  good  example  they  could  add  many  lessons 
of  instruction.  These  might  be  given  in  the  way 
of  natural,  unstudied  conversation,  and  thus  be  not 
only  heard  with  attention,  but  sink  deep.  If  the 
world  is  ever  to  be  reformed,  says  Mr.  Flint,  in 
his  Western  Review,  woman,  sensible,  enlightened, 
well  educated  and  principled,  must  be  the  original 
mover  in  the  great  work.  Every  one  who  has 
considered  well  the  extent  and  nature  of  female 
influence,  will  concur  in  the  sentiment ;  and  if  he 
have  one  remaining  particle  of  devotion  to  the 
Father  of  spirits,  he  will  send  up  the  most  fervent 
petitions  to  his  throne  of  mercy  in  behalf  of  this 


312 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Emancipation  of  females. 

often  depressed  or  enslaved  half  of  the  human 
race,  that  they  may  speedily  be  emancipated,  and 
become  as  conspicuous  in  human  redemption,  as 
they  have  sometimes  been  in  human  condemna- 
tion. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

EDUCATION  OF  THE  SENSES. 


Senses  neglected.       Extent  to  which  they  might  be  improved. 

Man  is  much  less  useful  and  happy  in  this 
world,  than  he  would  be  if  more  pains  were  taken 
by  parents  and  teachers,  as  well  as  by  himself, 
to  cultivate  his  senses — hearing,  seeing,  feeling, 
tasting  and  smelling — and  to  preserve  their  recti- 
tude. 

The  extent  to  which  the  senses  can  be  improved 
or  exalted,  can  best  be  understood  by  observing 
how  perfect  they  become  when  we  are  compelled 
to  cultivate  them.  Thus  the  blind,  who  are 
obliged  to  cultivate  hearing,  feeling  and  smelling, 
often  astonish  us  by  the  keenness  of  these  senses. 
They  will  distinguish  sounds — especially  voices — 
which  others  cannot ;  and  with  so  much  accuracy, 
as  to  remember  for  several  years  the  voice  of  a  per- 
son in  a  large  company,  which  they  hear  but  once. 
They  will  also  distinguish  small  pieces  of  money, 
different  fabrics  and  qualities  of  cloth,  &c;  and, 
in  walking,  often  ascertain,  by  the  feeling  of  the 
air,  or  by  other  sensations,  when  they  approach  a 


314 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Case  of  Julia  Brace.  Other  instances  of  educated  senses. 

building,  or  any  other  considerable  body.  So  the 
North  American  Indian,  whose  habits  of  life  seem 
to  require  it,  can  hear  the  footsteps  of  an  approach- 
ing enemy  at  distances  which  astonish  us.  So 
also  the  deaf  and  dumb  are  very  keen-sighted,  and 
generally  make  very  accurate  observations.  Any 
reader  who  is  sceptical  in  regard  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  senses,  would  do  well  to  consult  the  account 
of  Julia  Brace,  the  deaf  and  dumb  and  blind  girl, 
as  published  in  some  of  the  early  volumes  of  the 
"  Annals  of  Education." 

But  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  resort  to  the  blind, 
or  to  savages,  or  to  the  deaf  and  dumb,  in  order  to 
prove  man's  susceptibility  in  this  respect.  We 
may  be  reminded  of  the  same  fact  by  observing 
with  what  accuracy  the  merchant  tailor  can  dis- 
tinguish, by  feeling,  the  quality  of  his  goods ;  how 
quick  a  painter,  an  engraver,  or  a  printer,  will  dis- 
cover errors  in  painting  or  printing,  which  wholly 
escape  ordinary  readers  or  observers ;  and  how 
quick  the  ear  of  a  good  musician  will  discover  the 
existence  and  origin  of  a  discordant  sound  in  his 
choir. 

Now  I  do  not  undertake  to  say  or  prove,  that 
mankind  would  be  better  or  happier  for  having 
their  senses  all  cultivated  in  the  highest  possible 
degree ;  though  I  am  not  sure  that  this  would  not 


EDUCATION  OF  THE   SENSES.  315 


Caps — how  injurious.  Cleanliness  of  the  ears. 

be  the  case.  But  so  long  as  a  large  proportion  of 
our  ideas  enter  our  minds  through  the  medium  of 
the  five  senses,  it  is  desirable  that  something  should 
be  done  to  perfect  them,  instead  of  overlooking 
the  whole  subject.  What  mothers  ought  to  do  in 
this  matter,  deserves,  therefore,  a  brief  considera- 
tion. 

Sec  1.  Hearing. 

The  suggestion,  in  another  place,  to  keep  away* 
caps  from  the  child's  head,  if  duly  attended  to,  is 
one  means  of  perfecting,  or  at  least  of  preserving 
the  sense  of  hearing.  For  caps,  by  the  heat  they 
produce  to  a  part  which  cannot  safely  endure  an 
increase  of  temperature,  greatly  expose  children  to 
catarrhal  affections  ;  and  many  a  catarrh  has  laid 
the  foundation  for  dullness  of  hearing,  if  not  of 
actual  deafness. 

The  ears  should  be  kept  clean.  If  washed 
sufficiently  often,  and  syringed  once  a  wreek  with 
warm  milk  and  water,  or  with  very  weak  soap- 
suds, gently  warmed,  the  cerumen  or  ear  wax  will 
hardly  be  found  accumulated  in  such  masses  as  to 
produce  deafness.  And  yet  such  accumulations, 
with  such  consequences,  are  by  no  means  uncom- 
mon.  It  is  not  long  since  a  young  man  with  whom 


316 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Exercises  with  children.  Music  in  schools. 

I  am  acquainted,  applied  to  an  eminent  surgeon  of 
Boston,  on  account  of  deafness  in  one  ear,  which 
had  become  quite  troublesome,  and  as  it  was 
feared,  incurable.  Syringing  with  a  large  and 
strong  syringe  disengaged  a  large  mass  of  cerumen, 
and  hearing  was  immediately  restored. 

Children  should  be  taught  to  distinguish  sounds 
with  closed  eyes  or  blindfolded.  We  may  strike  on 
various  objects,  and  ask  them  to  tell  what  we  struck, 
&lc.  This  will  lead  them  to  observe  sounds ;  and 
will  perfect  their  hearing  in  a  remarkable  degree. 

There  are  also  advantages  to  be  derived  from 
accustoming  a  child  to  a  great  variety  of  sounds ; 
both  as  regards  their  strength  and  character.  But 
this  must  only  be  occasional ;  for  if  the  ear  be 
constantly  accustomed  to  sounds  of  any  kind,  and 
more  especially  those  which  are  harsh  or  loud,  the 
organ  of  hearing  is  liable  to  sustain  injury. — Music, 
as  it  is  now  beginning  to  be  taught  to  children  in 
our  schools,  will  do  much,  I  think,  to  improve  the 
faculty  of  hearing. 

Sec.  2.  Seeing. 

The  sight,  says  Addison,  is  the  most  perfect  of 
all  our  senses;  and  this  is  unquestionably  true. 
But  it  is  more  or  less  perfect,  in  different  individ- 


EDUCATION  OF  THE   SENSES.  317 


Causes  of  near-sightedness.       Too  much  heat.       Fine  print. 

uals,  according  to  the  early  education  they  have 
received.  Sometimes,  it  is  true,  we  are  born  near 
or  dim-sighted  ;  but  such  cases  are  comparatively 
rare. 

The  question  is  sometimes  asked  why  there  are 
so  many  persons  now-a-days,  who  lose  their  sight, 
become  near-sighted,  &c.  very  young.  It  may  be 
difficult  to  answer  this  question  fully ;  yet  I  cannot 
help  thinking  that  the  following  are  some  of  the 
causes : 

1.  The  great  heat  of  our  apartments,  which, 
together  with  late  hours  and  much  lamp  light, 
affects  the  eyes  unpleasantly,  is  believed  to  be 
among  the  more  prominent  causes  of  early  decay 
of  sight.  Formerly  our  apartments  were  neither 
so  steadily  nor  so  generally  heated ;  and  we  rose 
earlier,  and  consequently  went  to  bed  earlier. 

2.  The  fine  print  of  a  large  proportion  of  our 
books,  especially  our  school  books,  has  done  im- 
mense injury.  I  do  not  believe  that  reading  fine 
print,  occasionally,  for  a  few  moments  at  a  time,  or 
reading  by  a  very  strong  or  very  weak  light  in  the 
same  way,  does  harm.  On  the  contrary,  I  think 
it  may  strengthen  and  improve  the  sight.  It  is  the 
long  continuance  of  these  things  that  does  the  mis- 
chief ;  and  the  mischief  thus  done  is  immense. — I 
rejoice  that  printers  and  publishers  are  beginning 


318 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Spectacles.       Reading  when  fatigued.       Rubbing  the  eyes. 

of  late  to  use  much  larger  type  than  they  have 
done  for  some  years  past. 

3.  The  early  use  of  spectacles  does  mischief — I 
mean  before  they  are  needed.  After  they  begin 
to  be  needed,  there  is  no  advantage  in  delaying  to 
use  them,  as  some  do,  for  fear  they  shall  wear 
them  too  soon.  This  is  about  as  wise  as  the  prac- 
tice of  going  cold  to  harden  ourselves. 

4.  Reading  when  we  are  fatigued,  or  ill,  or  have 
a  very  full  stomach,  is  another  way  to  injure  the 
sight. 

5.  Rubbing  the  eyes  with  the  fingers,  or  with 
anything  else,  does  inevitable  mischief.  The  Ger- 
mans have  a  proverb  which  says — "  Never  touch 
your  eye,  except  with  your  elbow."  There  is 
much  of  good  sense  in  it. 

In  short,  there  are  a  thousand  ways  in  which 
that  delicate  organ,  the  human  eye,  may  sustain 
injury ;  and  nearly  as  many  in  which  it  may  be 
strengthened,  cultivated  and  improved.  But  my 
limits  merely  permit  me  to  add,  that  the  frequent 
but  gentle  application  of  water  to  the  eye,  several 
times  a  day,  at  such  a  temperature  as  is  most  agree- 
able— but  cold,  when  it  can  be  borne — is  one  of  the 
best  preservatives  of  sight  wdiich  the  world  affords. 

Connected  alike  with  physical  and  intellectual 
education,  is  the  practice  of  measuring  by  the  eye 


EDUCATION  OF  THE  SENSES. 


319 


Benumbing-  the  senses.         -Customs  of  modern  cookery. 

heights,  distances,  superficies  and  solids.  It  is  not 
difficult  to  train  the  eye  to  an  accuracy  in  this 
matter  which  would  astonish  the  uninstructed. 

Sec.  3.    Tasting  and  Spelling. 

I  do  not  know  that  it  is  worth  our  while  to  take 
pains,  by  any  direct  methods,  to  cultivate  the 
organs  of  taste  or  smell ;  but  I  think  it  proper,  at 
the  least,  to  preserve  their  original  rectitude. 

Many,  I  know,  undertake  to  say,  that  were  it  not 
for  our  errors  in  regard  to  food  and  drink,  and  were 
it  not,  in  particular,  for  the  multitude  of  strange 
mixtures  which  tend  to  benumb  those  two  senses, 
we  might  determine  the  qualities  of  food  and  drink 
— whether  they  are  favorable  or  adverse — by  means 
of  taste  and  smell,  like  the  animals.  But  I  do  not 
believe  this.  The  Creator  has  substituted  reason 
in  us  for  instinct  in  the  brute  animals.  It  is  not 
necessary  that  we  should  possess  the  latter,  when 
the  former  is  so  manifestly  superior  to  it ;  and  ac- 
cordingly I  do  not  believe  that  it  is  given  us,  or 
any  of  that  acuteness  of  sensation  which  exists  in 
the  dog,  the  tiger,  the  vulture,  he. — and  which  so 
closely  resembles  it. 

There  can  be  no  doubt — no  reasonable  doubt, 
certainly — that  the  wretched  customs  of  modem 


320 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


The  teeth.  Their  importance — uses.  Slovenliness. 

cookery  benumb  the  senses  of  taste  and  smell, 
more  or  less,  and  that  high-seasoned  food,  condi- 
ments, and  stimulating  drinks  do  the  same;  and 
should,  for  this  reason,  were  it  for  no  other,  be 
studiously  avoided. 

Closely  connected  with  the  organ  of  taste  are 
the  teeth.  A  volume  might  profitably  be  written 
on  these — as  on  the  eye.  But  I  will  only  say  that 
they  should  be  kept  perfectly  clean,  either  by 
rinsing  or  brushing,  or  both,  especially  after  eating; 
that  they  should  be  permitted  to  chew  all  our  food, 
instead  of  merely  standing  by  as  silent  spectators  to 
the  passage  of  that  which  is  mashed,  soaked, 
chopped,  he. ;  that  they  should  not  be  picked  or 
cleaned  with  pins,  or  other  equally  hard  instru- 
ments ;  that  they  should  not  be  used  to  crack  nuts, 
or  other  hard,  indigestible  substances  ;  and  that  the 
stomach,  with  which  they  are  apt  to  sympathize 
very  strongly,  should  also  be  kept  in  a  good  and 
healthy  condition. 

Sec  4.  Feeling. 

Corpulence  and  slovenliness  are  generally  among 
the  more  prolific  sources  of  a  want  of  acuteness  in 
feeling.  The  first  is  a  disease,  and  may  be  avoided 
by  a  proper  diet,  and  by  active  mental  and  bodily 


EDUCATION   OF  THE   SENSES.  321 


Acuteness  of  touch,  in  the  blind.  How  they  read. 

employment.  Slovenliness  we  may  of  course 
avoid,  whenever  there  is  a  wish  to  do  so,  and  an 
abundance  of  water. 

But  the  sense  of  feeling,  or  especially  that  ac- 
cumulation of  it  which  we  call  touch,  and  which 
seems  to  be  specially  located  in  the  balls  of  the 
fingers  and  on  the  palm  of  the  hand,  is  susceptible 
of  a  degree  of  improvement  far  beyond  what  would 
be  the  natural  result  of  cleanliness,  and  freedom 
from  plethora  or  corpulence. 

I  have  already  alluded,  in  my  general  remarks 
at  the  head  of  this  chapter,  to  the  acuteness  of  this 
sense  in  the  blind,  as  well  as  in  the  dealer  in 
cloths.  I  might  add  many  more  illustrations ;  but 
a  single  one,  in  relation  to  the  blind,  which  was 
accidentally  omitted  in  that  place,  will  be  sufficient. 

The  blind  at  the  Institution  in  this  city,  as  well 
as  in  other  similar  institutions,  are  now  taught  to 
read  and  write  with  considerable  facility.  But 
how  ?  Most  of  my  readers  may  have  heard  how 
they  read,  but  I  will  describe  the  process  as  well  as 
I  can.  A  description  of  their  method  of  writing  is 
more  difficult. 

The  letters  are  formed  by  pressing  the  paper, 
while  quite  moist,  upon  rather  large  type,  which 
raises  a  ridge  in  the  line  of  every  letter ;  and  which 
remains  prominent  after  the  paper  is  dry.  In  order 
21 


322 


THE   YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Remarks  on  the  hand.  Universal  negleet  of  the  left  hand. 

to  read,  the  pupil  has  to  feel  out  these  ridges.  A 
circular  ridge  on  the  paper  he  is  told  is  O ;  a  per- 
pendicular one,  I ;  a  crooked  one,  S,  &c.  They 
read  music  and  arithmetic  printed  in  a  similar  man- 
ner. A  few  months  of  practice,  in  this  way,  will 
enable  an  ingenious  youth  to  read  with  considera- 
ble ease  and  despatch. 

Now  if  nothing  is  wanting  but  a  little  training  to 
render  the  touch  so  accurate,  would  it  not  be  useful 
to  train  every  child  to  judge  frequently  of  the 
properties  of  bodies  by  this  sense  ?  And  cannot 
every  one  recall  to  his  mind  a  thousand  situations, 
in  which  a  greater  accuracy  of  this  sense  would 
have  saved  him  much  inconvenience,  as  well  as 
afforded  him  no  little  pleasure  ? 

I  shall  conclude  this  section  with  a  few  remarks 
on  the  Hand.  The  custom  of  neglecting,  or  almost 
neglecting  the  left  hand,  though  nearly  universal  in 
this  country  at  least,  appears  to  me  to  be  wrong — 
decidedly  so.  For  although  more  blood  may  be 
sent  to  the  right  arm  than  to  the  left,  as  physiolo- 
gists say,  yet  the  difference  is  not  as  great  at  birth 
as  it  is  afterward ;  so  that  education  either  weak- 
ens the  one  or  strengthens  the  other. 

Besides  this,  we  occasionally  find  a  person  who 
is  left  handed,  as  it  is  called;  that  is,  his  left  hand 
and  arm  are  as  much  larger  and  stronger  than  the 


EDUCATION  OF  THE  SENSES. 


323 


Physiology  of  the  arms.       May  be  strengthened  by  education. 

right,  as  the  right  is  usually  stronger  than  the  left. 
How  is  this  ?  Do  we  find  a  corresponding  change 
in  the  internal  structure  ?  But  suppose  it  could  be 
ascertained  that  such  a  change  did  exist,  which  I 
believe  has  never  been  done,  the  question  would 
still  arise  whether  the  difference  was  the  same  at 
birth,  or  whether  the  more  frequent  use  of  the  left 
hand  has  not,  in  part,  produced  it. 

I  do  not  mean,  here,  to  intimate,  that  a  more 
frequent  use  of  the  left  hand  than  the  right  would 
make  new  blood-vessels  grow  where  there  were 
none  before.  But  it  would  certainly  do  one  thing; 
it  would  make  the  same  vessels  carry  more  blood 
than  they  did  before,  which  is,  in  effect,  nearly  the 
same  thing : — for  the  more  blood  in  the  limb,  as  a 
general  rule,  the  more  strength ; — provided  the 
limb  is  in  due  health  and  exercise. 

The  inference  which  I  wish  the  reader  to  make 
from  all  this  is,  that  since  the  left  hand  and  arm,  by 
due  cultivation,  and  without  essential  difference  or 
change  of  structure  to  begin  with,  can  occasionally 
be  made  stronger  than  the  right,  it  is  fair  to  con- 
clude that  it  may,  if  found  desirable,  be  always 
rendered  more  nearly  equal  to  it  than,  in  adult 
years,  we  usually  find  it. 

The  question  is  now  fairly  before  us — Is  such  a 
result  desirable  ?  I  maintain  that  it  is;  and  shall 
endeavor  to  show  my  reasons. 


324 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Using-  both  hands.       Reasons  why  both  hands  should  be  used. 

How  often  is  one  hand  injured  by  an  accident, 
or  rendered  nearly  useless  by  disease !  But  if  it 
should  be  the  right,  how  helpless  it  makes  us  ! 
The  man  who  is  accustomed  to  shave  himself,  must 
now  resort  to  a  barber.  If  he  is  a  barber  himself, 
or  almost  any  other  mechanic,  his  business  must  be 
discontinued.  Or  if  he  is  a  clerk,  he  cannot  use  his 
left  hand,  and  must  consequently  lose  his  time. 
Or  if  amputation  chances  to  be  performed  on  a 
favorite  arm,  how  entirely  useless  to  society  wre  are, 
till  we  have  learned  to  use  the  other !  It  not  only 
takes  up  a  great  deal  of  valuable  time  to  acquire  a 
facility  of  using  it,  but  if  we  are  already  arrived  at 
maturity,  we  can  never  use  it  so  well  as  the  other, 
during  our  whole  lives ;  because  it  is  too  late  in 
life  to  increase  its  size  and  strength  much  by  con- 
stant exercise.  Whereas  in  youth,  it  might  have 
been  done  easily. 

Is  it  not  then  important — for  these  and  many 
more  reasons — to  teach  a  child  to  use  with  nearly 
equal  readiness,  both  of  his  hands  ?  But  if  so, 
who  can  do  it  better  than  the  mother  ?  And  when 
can  it  be  better  done  than  in  the  earliest  infancy  ? 
When  is  the  time  which  would  be  devoted  to  it, 
worth  less  than  at  this  period  ? 


CHAPTER  XX. 


ABUSES. 


Abuses  of  the  young  in  families  and  schools. 

It  is  difficult  to  determine,  in  regard  to  many 
things  which  concern  the  management  of  the 
young,  whether  they  belong  most  properly  to  moral 
or  physical  education ;  so  close  is  the  connection 
between  the  two,  and  so  decidedly  does  every- 
thing, or  nearly  everything  which  relates  to  the 
management  of  the  body,  have  a  bearing  upon  the 
formation  of  moral  character.  This  work  might 
be  extended  very  much  farther,  did  it  comport 
with  my  original  plan.  But  I  hasten  to  close  the 
volume  with  a  few  thoughts  on  certain  abuses  of 
the  body,  which  prevail  to  a  greater  or  less  extent 
in  families  and  schools ;  and  to  which  I  have  not 
adverted  elsewhere. 

The  seats  of  children  are  usually  bad,  both  at 
table  and  elsewhere.  It  seems  not  enough  that 
we  condemn  them  to  the  use  of  knives,  forks, 
spoons,  &c.  of  the  same  size  with  those  of  adults. 
We  go  farther,  and  give  them  chairs  of  the  same 


326 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Chairs  and  seats  too  high.       Sabbath  school  a  relief.  Why. 

height  and  proportion  with  our  own.  There  are 
a  few  exceptions  to  the  truth  of  this  remark.  Here 
and  there  we  see  a  child's  chair,  it  is  true  ;  but 
not  often. 

But  how  unreasonable  is  it  to  seat  a  child  in  a 
chair  so  high  that  his  feet  cannot  reach  the  floor ; 
and  so  constructed  that  there  is  no  other  place  on 
which  the  feet  can  rest.  What  adult  would  be 
willing  to  sit  in  so  painful  a  posture,  with  his  legs 
dangling!  No  wonder  children  dislike  to  sit  much, 
in  such  circumstances.  And  it  is  a  great  blessing 
to  both  parent  and  child  that  they  do.  No  wonder 
children  hate  the  Sabbath;  especially  in  those 
families  where  they  are  compelled  to  keep  the 
day  holy  by  sitting  motionless  !  Sabbath  schools, 
though  they  bring  with  them  some  evil  along  with 
a  great  deal  of  good,  are  a  relief  to  the  young  in 
this  particular ;  especially  if  their  seats  are  more 
comfortable  elsewhere  than  at  home.  They  con- 
sider it  much  more  tolerable  to  spend  the  morning 
and  intermission  of  the  day  in  going  to  and  return- 
ing from  Sabbath  school,  than  in  constant  and  close 
confinement.  They  prefer  variety,  and  the  occa- 
sional light  and  air  of  heaven,  to  monotony  and 
seclusion  and  silence. 

It  happens,  however,  that  the  seats  at  the  Sab- 
bath school  and  at  church,  are  not  always  what 


ABUSES.  327 

Seats  at  church.  At  school.  Extraordinary  abuses. 

they  should  be ;  nor,  so  far  as  church  is  concerned, 
do  I  see  that  this  evil  can  be  wholly  avoided. 
Children  usually  sit  with  their  parents,  in  the  sanc- 
tuary ;  and  they  ought  to  do  so :  and  the  height  of 
the  seats  cannot,  of  course,  accommodate  both. — - 
If  there  is  a  building  erected  solely  for  the  use  of 
the  Sabbath  school,  the  seats  may  be  constructed 
accordingly,  without  seriously  incommoding  any- 
body ;  but  in  the  church  I  do  not  see,  as  I  have 
once  before  observed,  how  the  evil  can  be  reme- 
died. 

The  greatest  trouble  in  regard  to  scats,  however, 
is  at  the  day  school ;  especially  in  our  district  or 
common  schools.  There,  it  is  usual  for  children 
to  be  confined  six  hours  a  day — and  sometimes  two 
in  succession — to  hard,  narrow,  plank  seats,  a  large 
proportion  of  which  are  without  backs,  and  raised 
so  high  that  the  feet  of  most  of  the  pupils  cannot 
possibly  touch  the  floor.  There,  u  suspended," 
as  I  have  said  in  another  work,*  "  between  the 
heavens  and  the  earth,  they  are  compelled  to 
remain  motionless  for  an  hour  or  an  hour  and  a 
half  together." 

I  have  also  shown,  in  the  same  essay,  that  in 
regard  to  the  desks,  and  indeed  many  other  things 


*  See  a  "  Prize  Essay  "  on  School  Houses,  page  7. 


328 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Cushions  objected  to.     Seats  with  backs.     Height  of  seats. 

which  pertain  to,  or  are  connected  with  the 
school,  very  little  pains  is  taken  to  provide  for  the 
physical  welfare  or  even  comfort  of  the  pupils; 
and  that  a  thorough  reform  on  the  subject  appears 
to  me  indispensable. 

When  I  speak  of  hard  plank  seats,  let  me  not 
be  understood  as  hinting  at  the  necessity  of  cush- 
ions. When  I  wrote  the  essay  above  mentioned, 
I  did  indeed  believe  that  they  were  desirable. 
But  I  am  now  opposed  to  their  use,  either  by  chil- 
dren or  adults,  even  where  a  laborious  employ- 
ment would  seem  to  demand  a  long  confinement 
to  this  awkward  and  unnatural  position.  If  our 
seats  are  cushioned,  we  shall  sit  too  easily.  I 
believe  that  our  health  requires  a  hard  seat; 
because  its  very  hardness  inclines  us  to  change, 
frequently,  our  position. 

But  if  we  must  sit,  be  it  never  so  short  a  time, 
our  seats  should  always  have  backs ;  and  those 
which  are  designed  for  children,  should  not  be  so 
high  as  to  render  them  uncomfortable.  Nor  should 
the  backs  of  seats  be  so  high  as  they  usually  are, 
either  for  children  or  adults.  They  should  never 
come  much  higher  than  the  middle  of  the  body. 
If  they  reach  the  shoulders,  they  either  favor  a 
crouching  forward,  or  interfere  with  the  free  action 
of  the  lungs. 


ABUSES. 


329 


Abuses  in  manufactories.         Thoughts  on  by-gone  days. 

This  might  be  deemed  a  proper  place  for  saying 
something  on  the  position  of  children  in  manufac- 
tories. But  here  a  world  of  abuse  opens  upon  my 
view,  the  full  development  of  which  demands  a 
large  volume.  How  many  crooked  spines,  ema- 
ciated bodies,  decaying  lungs,  as  well  as  scrofulas, 
fevers  and  consumptions,  are  either  induced  or 
accelerated  by  these  unnatural  employments  !  I 
mean,  they  are  unnatural  for  the  young.  As  to 
employing  adults  in  them,  I  have  nothing  at  present 
to  say.  But  when  I  think  of  the  cruel  custom  of 
placing  children  in  these  places,  whose  bodies — 
and,  were  this  the  place,  I  might  add  minds — are 
immature,  and  especially  girls,  I  am  compelled,  by 
the  voice  of  conscience,  and,  as  I  trust,  by  a  regard 
to  those  laws  which  God  has  established  in  our 
physical  frames,  but  which  are  yet  so  strangely 
violated,  to  protest  against  it.  Better  that  no  fac- 
tories should  exist,  than  that  children  should  be 
ruined  in  them  as  they  now  are.  Better  by  far  that 
we  should  return,  were  it  possible,  to  the  primitive 
habits  of  New  England — to  those  by-gone  days 
when  mothers  and  daughters  made  the  wearing 
apparel  of  themselves  and  their  families ;  when,  if 
there  was  less  of  intellectual  cultivation,  and  less 
money  expended  for  luxuries  and  extravagances, 
there  was  much  more  of  health  and  happiness. 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Bodily  punishments.       Blows  on  the  head.        Making  idiots. 

There  is  one  more  species  of  abuse  to  which, 
in  closing,  I  wish  to  direct  maternal  attention.  I 
allude  to  injudicious  modes  of  inflicting  corporal 
punishment. 

Let  me  not  be  understood  to  appear,  in  this 
place,  as  the  advocate  of  bodily  punishments  of 
any  kind  ;  for  if  they  are  even  admissible  under 
some  circumstances,  I  am  fully  convinced  that  in 
the  way  in  which  they  are  now  commonly  admin- 
istered, they  do  much  more  of  harm  than  good. 

But  leaving  the  question  of  their  utility,  in 
the  abstract,  wholly  untouched,  and  taking  it  for 
granted,  for  the  present,  that  they  are — as  is  un- 
doubtedly the  fact — sometimes  employed,  and  will 
continue  to  be  so  for  a  great  while  to  come,  I 
proceed  to  speak  of  their  more  flagrant  abuses. 

Among  these,  none  are  more  reprehensible  than 
blows  of  any  kind  on  the  head.  Even  the  rod 
is  objectionable  for  this  purpose,  since  it  exposes 
the  eyes.  But  the  hand — in  boxing  the  ears  or 
striking  in  any  way — is  more  so.  The  bones  of 
the  head,  in  young  children,  are  not  yet  firmly 
knit  together,  and  these  concussions  may  injure  the 
tender  brain.  I  know  of  whole  families,  whose 
mental  faculties  are  dull,  as  the  consequence — I 
believe — of  a  perpetual  boxing  and  striking  of  the 
head.    Some  individuals  are  made  almost  idiots,  in 


ABUSES. 


331 


Beating  the  region  of  the  vital  organs.        Shocking  anecdote. 

this  very  manner. — But  the  worst  is  not  yet  told. 
Many  teachers  are  in  the  habit  of  striking  their 
pupils'  heads  with  thick  heavy  books,  and  with 
wooden  rules.  I  have  seen  one  of  the  latter,  of 
considerable  size  and  thickness,  broken  in  two 
across  the  head  of  a  very  small  boy ;  and  this  too 
— such  is  the  public  mind — in  the  presence  of  a 
mother  who  was  paying  a  visit  to  the  school.  I 
have  seen  parents  and  masters  strike  the  heads 
of  their  children  with  pieces  of  wood  of  much 
larger  size; — in  one  instance,  with  a  common  sized 
tailor's  press-board  ;  in  another,  with  the  heavy 
end  of  a  wooden  whip-handle,  about  an  inch  in 
diameter. 

Children  are  sometimes  severely  beaten  across 
the  middle  of  the  body — the  region  where  lie  the 
vital  organs — the  lungs,  the  heart,  the  liver,  &:c. 
They  are  sometimes  beaten,  too,  across  the  joints, 
or  in  any  place  that  the  excited,  perhaps  passion- 
ate teacher  or  parent  can  reach.  Rules  and  books 
are  thrown  with  violence  at  pupils  in  school. 
There  is  a  story  in  the  "  Annals  of  Education," 
Vol.  IV.  at  page  28,  of  a  teacher  who  threw  a 
rule  at  a  little  boy,  six  years  old,  which  struck  him 
with  great  force,  within  an  inch  of  one  of  his  eyes. 
Had  it  struck  a  little  nearer  to  his  nose,  it  would3 
in  all  probability,  have  destroyed  his  left  eye. 


332 


THE  YOUNG  MOTHER. 


Duty  of  mothers  in  regard  to  physical  education. 

But  without  extending  these  remarks  any  far- 
ther, every  intelligent  mother  who  reads  what  I 
have  already  written,  will  see,  as  I  trust,  the 
necessity  of  properly  informing  herself  on  the  great 
subject  of  physical  education  ;  and  of  being  better 
prepared  than  she  has  hitherto  been,  for  acquitting 
herself,  with  satisfaction,  of  those  high  and  sacred 
responsibilities  which,  in  the  wise  arrangements  of 
Nature  and  Providence,  devolve  upon  her. 


BOOKS  AND  PERIODICAL  WORKS 

PUBLISHED  BY 

LIGHT  &  STEARNS, 

1  CORNHILL,  BOSTON. 


THE  BOSTON  BOOK,  being  specimens  of  Metropolitan 

Literature.  This  work  is  executed  in  the  best  style,  and  contains  a 
handsome  copperplate  engraving. 

THE  STRANGER'S  GIFT,  a  Christmas  and  New  Year's 

Present.  By  Hermann  Borum,  Instructor  in  Harvard  University. 
Executed  in  the  best  manner,  with  a  copperplate  engraving  of  the  Gei- 
man  "  Christmas  Tree." 

SLAVERY  AND  THE  DOMESTIC  SLAVE  TRADE 

IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  By  Professor  E.  A.  Andrews.  Being 
the  first  Publication  of  the  American  Union  for  the  Relief  and  Improve- 
ment of  the  Colored  Race. 

REMAINS  OF  MELVILLE  B.  COX,  (First  Methodist 

Missionary  to  Africa,)  with  a  MEMOIR.  Published  under  the  superin- 
tendence of  his  brother,  Gershom  F.  Cox.  Containing  a  copperplate 
likeness,  &c. 

THE  PARENT'S  PRESENT,  edited  by  the  author  of 

Peter  Parley's  Tales.    With  Cuts.    A  beautiful  present  for  youth. 

MEMOIR  AND  POEMS  OF  PHILLIS  WHEATLEY. 

Dedicated  to  the  Friends  of  the  Africans.  The  Poems  from  the  best 
English  edition. 

MEMOIR  OF  REV.  S.  OSGOOD  WRIGHT,  late  Mis- 

sionary  to  Liberia.    By  B.  B.  Thatcher.    With  a  Portrait. 

PROSE  SKETCHES  AND  POEMS,  written  in  the  Wes- 
tern Country.  By  Albert  Pike.  Both  the  Prose  and  the  Poetry  of 
this  book  are  descriptive  of  the  Western  Country.  Written  in  tha 
prairie  and  among  the  mountains. 

MEMOIR  OF  WILLIAM  WILBERFORCE.  By  Thomas 

Price.    First  American  Edition. 


i 


334       LIGHT  AND   STEARNs'  PUBLICATIONS. 


THE  CARPENTER  AND  HIS  FAMILY:  also, PRIDE 

SUBDUED.    By  the  Author  of  the  "  Black  Velvet  Bracelet,"  &c. 

JANE  BAILEY,  or  Recollections  of  a  Home  Missionary. 

With  a  cut. 

TEMPERANCE  ANECDOTES,  AND  INTERESTING 

FACTS.  Selected  by  the  Author  of  a  History  of  the  Temperance 
Reformation.    With  Cuts. 

WOOD  S  IMPROVED  TABLES  OF  DISCOUNT,  cor- 

rectly  calculated  upon  any  sum  from  Id.  to  £200,  at  from  1-4  to  90  per 
cent.,  with  several  other  useful  Tables. 

SKETCHES  FROM  SACRED  HISTORY;  containing 

the  Story  of  the  Moabitess,  the  Story  of  the  Queen,  and  the  Story  of 
the  Priest.    With  a  cut. 

WILL  SOON  BE  PUBLISHED, 
THE  HOUSE  I    LIVE  IN— second  edition  :  a  popular 

work  for  the  Young,  on  the  structure  of  the  Human  Body,  by  Dr.  Alcott. 
It  will  be  improved  and  enlarged  by  the  author,  and,  like  the  first  edition, 
will,  we  trust,  be  favorably  received.  We  believe  there  is  no  other  work 
to  be  found  on  the  subject  of  Anatomy,  which  is  adapted  to  the  wants  of 
children  in  families  and  schools. 


N.  B. — Besides  our  own  Publications,  we  keep  on 
hand  a  general  assortment  of  BOOKS  AND  STATIONARY.  All  Dr. 
Alcott's  works,  especially  the  YOUNG  MAN'S  GUIDE,  can  be  furnished 
in  any  quantity,  at  the  publishers'  lowest  prices.  We  intend  to  be  con- 
stantly well  supplied  with  all  works  relating  to  Moral,  Intellectual  and 
Physical  Self-Education. 


LIGHT  AND   STEARNS'   PUBLICATIONS.  335 


MORAL  REFORMER, 

AND 

TEACHER  ON  THE  HUMAN  CONSTITUTION. 

Monthly — Price,  Jla  year,  in  advance. 

EDITED  BY  DR.  ALCOTT, 
Author  of  the  "  Young  Man's  Guide,5'  the  "  Young  Mother,"  &c. 


The  first  volume  of  this  work,  containing  384  pages,  being 
completed,  can  be  had  for  $1.25,  neatly  bound  and  lettered.  The  perma- 
nency of  the  work  is  now  beyond  all  doubt,  and  the  publishers  believe  it 
may  properly  be  ranked  among  the  standard  periodicals  of  the  country. 
No  effort  or  expense  is  spared  on  their  part,  or  that  of  the  Editor,  to 
render  it  extensively  beneficial,  in  promoting  health  of  body  and  peace  of 
mind.  It  has  recently  been  highly  approved  by  GEORGE  COMBE, 
author  of  "  The  Constitution  of  Man,"  as  well  as  by  a  large  number  of 
distinguished  men  of  this  country,  among  whom  are  the  following: 

Dr.  John  C.  Warren,  Dr.  S.  B-  Woodward,  Rev.  Dr.  Humphrey,  Rev. 
S.  R.  Hail,  Rev.  Hubbard  Winslow,  Rev.  R.  Anderson,  Rev.  Baron  Stow, 
Rev.  B.  B.  Wisner,  R.  H.  Gillet,  Esq.,  Rev.  Wm.  Hague,  Roberts  Vaux, 
Esq.,  Dr.  John  M.  Keagy,  Dr.  R.  D.  Mussey,  Prof.  E.  A.  Andrews,  Rev. 
L.  F.  Clark,  Rev.  M.  M.  Carll,  Rev.  Dr.  Fay. 

These  recommendations  are  similar  to  the  following,  received  from  Dr. 
Warren  : 

"The  Moral  Reformer  is,  in  my  opinion,  an  excellent  publication.  It 
seems  to  be  well  adapted  to  aid  in  the  great  reform  in  habits  and  customs 
which  is  now  going  on  in  this  country  and  Great  Britain  ;  and  which,  it  may 
be  hoped,  will  extend  to  other  parts  of  the  world.  I  beg  leave  to  recom- 
mend this  little  work  to  all  who  are  desirous  of  promoting  their  health  of 
body  and  tranquillity  of  mind.'* 

Many  of  the  most  respectable  Journals  in  the  country,  have  also  given 
their  testimony  in  its  favor.    The  following  are  a  very  few  of  them : 

Boston  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal,  Annals  of  Education,  Abbott's 
Religious  Magazine,  Boston  Recorder,  Christian  Watchman,  Zion's 
Herald,  New  York  Farmer. 

We  feel  entire  confidence  in  offering  this  publication  to  all  who  are 
interested  in  the  improvement  which  Dr.  Alcott  is  endeavoring  to  promote.. 


336     LIGHT  AND   STEARNS'  PUBLICATIONS. 


SCIENTIFIC  TRACTS, 

FOR  THE 

DIFFUSION  OF  USEFUL  KNOWLEDGE. 
THIRD  SERIES. 

Monthly — $1  a  Volume,  in  advance. 

This  valuable  work  has  lately  passed  into  our  hands.  Be- 
lieving it  to  be  better  suited  to  the  design  of  the  work,  we  have  concluded 
to  make  each  Tract  consist  of  a  well-executed  treatise  upon  a  single  subject, 
(except  a  short  summary  of  scientific  intelligence,  notices,  &.C.,  at  the 
close) — thus  bringing  the  work  back  to  the  plan  on  which  it  was  originally 
conducted.  Some  of  the  best  Scientific  and  Literary  writers  in  the  coun- 
try are  already  engaged,  and  none  will  be  employed  who  are  not  fully 
competent  to  do  justice  to  their  subjects.  From  fifteen  to  thirty  dollars 
will  be  paid  for  the  composition  of  each  Tract. 

This  work  is  so  well  known,  and  has  been  so  highly  approved  of  in  every 
part  of  the  country,  that  further  recommendation  is  unnecessary.  Seven 
volumes  of  it  have  been  published,  and  we  believe  it  is  generally  ranked 
among  the  firmest  standard  periodicals.  We  have  only  to  say,  that  still 
more  liberal  arrangements  have  been  made  to  secure  the  best  writers,  aBd 
to  improve  the  work  in  every  respect,  than  were  ever  made  before. 

A  few  complete  sets  of  the  First  and  Second  Series  can  be  had  at  the 
subscription  price,  bound. 


PRINTING  ESTABLISHMENT. 

L.  &  S.  have  a  well  furnished  Printing  Office  connected  with  their 
concern,  where  they  can  execute  orders  in  all  the  branches  of  Printing, 
in  the  best  style.  Particular  attention  paid  to  Card  and  other  Letter  Press 
Printing. 

They  are  grateful  for  past  favors,  and  respectfully  solicit  a  continuance 
of  the  patronage  of  their  friends  and  the  public  generally,  in  both  depart- 
ments of  their  business. 


